People are saying that, the most irritating things are the ones you care the most. I love my dad and I totally respect him for everything he did, except for one--The Alcoholism. Most of families have their own problem, and the only one in my family is related to the Alcohol. My dad is addicted to Alcohol and what is more important is, he is proud of it.
In my dad's perspective，Alcohol is a good thing; It not only makes you feel good, but also makes you look like a real man. So, if you can take more shots than other people, you are the winner. In addition, my dad also thinks the alcohol is a tool to help him to get success in business world. My dad is a business man, and he has a lot of social events to attend and some of them are Alcoholic. My dad thinks Alcohol can bring him close to the man he wants to do business together during the social event. Every time when I try to stop my dad from drinking him always said that he is doing business. I don’t understand why his business cannot survive without Alcohol.
In my opinion, in the beginning Alcohol is something my dad needs for his part of business success, however, it now turns out to be something he want. I always found he was drinking by himself. I understand that in China, sometimes business cannot be made without Alcohol, which is part of the "Chinese Business Culture", and most of the deals are made on the dining table. But I can still distinguish the businessman and the Alcoholic, the bottom line is, if you quit your job, you will stop drinking, but I will doubt if it is going to happen in my dad.
I guess now the only solution is to make my dad realize he is now in addition to the Alcohol which will cause serious health problems. Sometimes, Alcohol is not a bad thing if you know how to control the amount you drink every week. I also have some beer when I was in Party or Bar, but I can always manage how much I should drink.
I understand where you're coming from, the concern you have for you father and his health, but I have to say that what your father is doing is a part of traditions that he most likely wants to keep alive. Now I am not of chinese descent, but I do have few knowledge that alcohol has been a cultural use as a tool to incorporate and strengthen friendships, bonds, and dealt business. The event of doing so,drinking alcoholic beverages together symbols future welcomings. Even in non-industrial societies, drinking alcohol together strengthens bonds. Without the practice, traditions is lost. As for the amount of alcohol consumption, yes it is a concerned issue. However, even today, by out-consuming others in alcohol, it is still symboled as a manly thing. In my culture, the in-laws judge their son-in-law's manliness by his alcohol tolerance level where how much he drinks before he dropped.
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