cw-addiction and medical problems. partially based off a true story.
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Addiction. A harsh topic for those that suffer from the potentially life-threatening disease.
Addiction could be compared to a fishing trip in a way. The fisherman is the devil, holding the fishing hook and smiling down at the helpless, ignorant fish. The bait is the drug. The fish is you. The other fish from the school are waiting for you to come home, but you are reeled too far in to go back now. The fisherman's home is now your deathbed.
Some fishermen release their catch, but sometimes the fisherman gets a bit greedy. That may or may not be you or someone you know.
The other fish think they have it the worst, not knowing where the other fish went. Suddenly they come to realize that the fish they once knew was caught, and possibly never coming back.
But the other fish don't know what the first fish is going through. Pain. Suffering. Illness.
So in that respect, fish are like humans.
There are approximately 247 million drug abusers worldwide. There are approximately 240 million alcoholics worldwide, and approximately 1 billion smokers worldwide. Imagine how many lives those drugs are taking each year.
Alcohol poisoning kills an average of 6 people per day, and Joel Birch was nearly one of those six people.
While on vacation with his friends Bel, Casey, and Dan in the United States, he and his friends drank for days on end, enjoying football and good food in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 17th, 2013.
Evidently not getting enough water, Joel began having a seizure one night with his friends around him.
"Guys, I'm gonna go to the bathroom, I'll be right back."
"Okay." Bel said drunkenly, leaning on Casey, whose head was in her arms on the bar.
Joel's hands began twitching as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He dropped to the floor in an instant and started seizing immensely. His hands and feet curled up as he twitched.
His friends thought he was joking around, but when they noticed his skin turning pale, almost a light blue, they knew he wasn't joking.
"Dan, oh my god, call an ambulance!" called Bel, her hands trying to stabilize Joel and stop his vigorous shaking.
Dan rushed away and called an ambulance while Bel cried over Joel, begging him to stop shaking.
Within minutes, an ambulance was at the scene with EMTs surrounding Joel. Bel was pulled away by Dan, who held her tightly in his arms, and Casey was still passed out on the bar.
"Joel! No!" Bel sobbed as she saw her best friend being hulled into the back of an ambulance.
"It's okay, he'll be fine, Bel."
"Dan," She pulled away, "we have to go see him in the hospital. He's gonna die, Dan, he's gonna die!"
"Don't say that, he's gonna be fine. But yes, we can go see him in the hospital." Dan said with a weak smile, "We have to wake Casey up first."
Bel shook Casey awake, and she shot right up when she was broken the news about Joel.
Dan was the most calm out of the three friends, so he drove them to the hospital. Casey and Bel sat in the backseat, crying on each other's shoulders and making inquiries as to how Joel could've possibly had such a horrible, yet random seizure.
