by Ken Thomas
The "pitch" of the beer hawker rang through the stands at Greer Stadium, as the young man sold his suds for $2.25 a cup. I saw him return several times to a group of young people and ask, "Are you all right?", a hint that they might need another. (Later law officers checked I.D.'s and poured out one drink, but the salesman had not bothered to check his customer's ages!)
I read a recent AP report on "Sports and Alcohol". The writer said that four baseball teams are partially owned by brewers. Pro teams of football and basketball also depend on ad and concession dollars from those "who concoct and hawk the most abused drug in the land." Consumed by 100 million Americans, it kills 100,000 every year.
The sporting world has come down hard on cocaine, amphetamines, and steroids, but remains largely passive about the attractive gateway alcohol gives into the world of substance abuse. The NFL says that alcohol is the most abused drug in football, and is the only major sports organization to have a formal policy on the subject.
College trainers rank alcohol as ahead of marijuana, cocaine and steroids in frequency of abuse by college athletes, but only 38% test for it. (100% said they test for marijuana and cocaine. It kills brain cells. Cocaine won't do that. Alcohol is more toxic than heroin. It rots the insides. Heroin won't do that."
Some of the strongest, most talented athletes in the world have seen their lives drowned in the sea of alcohol. Even strong Christians have lost their resistance and have seen their influence and lives go downhill. In whatever form it takes wine or wine cooler, bourbon or beer ethyl alcohol destroys body and soul. "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" ( Proverbs 20:1). As medical science progresses, the plea for total abstinence from beverage alcohol makes more sense than ever before. Don't be misled by arguments for "moderate drinking". You won't be sorry if you keep your brain cells alive!