Vancouver, Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Vancouver, Canada - Essay Example The area has a population of 5300 people per square kilometer (Kalman 21). One of the most important aspects that tourists may have interest in when visiting the country is the town’s architecture. Vancouver is the only place in Northern America with diverse architecture where it hosts different styles of building. The Marine building is one of the chief architectural landmarks in Vancouver. Visiting it gives tourists a general idea of the manner in which buildings in Canada were constructed in the 20th century. The diversity is unique and attractive and this is something that would amaze tourists (McDonald 18). Among the most striking figures in the city is Inusk at the Bay of England. Cactus Club Cafà © is attractive from outside and has a welcoming group of people that tend to the visitors (Alberta). Vancouver Bed and Breakfast is another attractive location for tourists where they can spend the night before they wake up to visit the different sites the country has to offer. The Lonsdale Quay is a hub overlooking the city of Vancouver (Ellen 53). When staring across the lake, one has a clear view of the landscape of the

Short Response # 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short Response # 4 - Essay Example When he met Gina Desander, a mature, independent woman in her thirties, everything changed. Gina saw in him a potentially vibrant and handsome young man. In the short time they spent together Gina taught Trip everything he needed to know about women and about his own virility. The "mantle of a lover" has been conveyed on to Trip. (71) He has begun his journey as a great lover, drawing women to his person as if he were a magnet. After his trysts with Gina, Trip changed from the person his friends once knew. He seemed to have transformed from a chubby boy to a muscular and striking young man. Trip has now changed his manner of dress. He deviated from "school boy shirts and pants" to "western outfits" which resembled the outfits worn by admirers of Gina, his first love. His voice deepened both owing to his physical development and the confidence that comes from being loved and initiated by an adept older woman. His scent also changed from a boyish freshness to the musky scent of a confident young man who knows what he wants and how to get it. Eugenides alluded to the fact that Trip was a responsible A student before his Gina experience.

Environmental Management System (EMS) in an Organisation

Environmental Management System (EMS) in an Organisation 1. How would you summarise the environmental challenge faced by industry at the current time? Since the start of the industrial age, economic growth and the environment have often been in conflict (Florida and Davidson, 2001). Motivated by more than just â€Å"altruistic concerns† (Florida and Davidson: 64) many companies are now taking initiative and incorporating the environment into their business strategy. The environmental challenge to industry comes from a huge number of sources, but it can generally be narrowed down to three directions, commonly known as the ‘green triangle’ (Gale, 1996). Firstly, environmental laws and regulations are forcing industry to improve their environmental performance. Secondly, there is a need to improve company image (Morrow and Rondinelli, 2002), and pressure comes from customers or voters who are interested in less environmentally harmful goods or services (Gale, 1996). Thirdly, an environmental challenge comes from the â€Å"financial, banking and insurance communities who are concerned about the cost of environmenta l accidents or mismanagement† (Gale, 1996). In fact, good environmental management leads to reduced risk which is highly valued by the financial markets (Feldman et al, 1996). 2. Describe the relevance of the First Law of Thermodynamics and the Law of Conservation of Mass to the economic system. The First Law of Thermodynamics is â€Å"the fundamental principle of physics that the total energy of an isolated system is constant despite internal changes†, and the Law of Conservation of Mass is the principle that â€Å"matter cannot be created or destroyed†. These laws apply to the economic system as â€Å"an irreducible whole that develops, maintains, and reproduces, or renews itself be mobilizing material and energy captured from the environment† (Ho, 2005). This is particularly significant to the relationship between the environment and economic systems, as the latter essentially depends on the flow of resources from the natural environment. Therefore, any entropic costs can either be endured by the economic system or the environment. Consequently, â€Å"when the cost of valuable (non-renewable) ecological resources consumed or destroyed are not properly taken into account, the entropic burden falls on the ecological environment rather than on the econo mic system (Ho, 2005). 3. What does the term ‘sustainable development’ mean for industry? The Bruntland Commission’s widely used definition of ‘sustainable development’ is â€Å"development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs† (WCED, 1987: 43). It is often argued that this definition is intentionally vague with the intent of creating a consensus. And create a consensus it has – â€Å"no one in their right mind is against sustainable development† (The Economist, 2002) – and many international organizations, national and local governments, and businesses have incorporated the concept into their plans. For industry, the term has extended to â€Å"include the simultaneous consideration of economic growth, environmental protection, and social equity in business planning and decision making† (Rondinelli and Berry, 2000: 1). Many businesses, then, have taken on the concept of sustainable development, and have put into practice business plans that allo w them to meet their needs in the present whilst taking the environment into consideration, thereby ensuring that their industry can continue into the future. Any industry that is really striving for sustainable practices â€Å"must be phasing out its use of substances that are systematically at odds with a sustainable world, while measuring what share of the world’s limited regenerative capacity is occupied by its use of renewable resources† (White, 1999, in OECD, 2001: 11). 4. What are the potential benefits for a company successfully responding to the environmental challenge? The potential benefits (economic and environmental) for a company successfully responding to the environmental challenge are too numerous to include them all, so only a limited selection will be discussed here. Though the resulting environmental benefits may not create direct economic benefits for the company, the policies attract (and keep) customers by â€Å"establishing a strong image of corporate responsibility† (Morrow and Rondinelli, 2002:163). In economic terms, though environmental sensitivity is often viewed as being at odds with cost-effectiveness, a study of organizations that implement Environmental Management Systems (EMS) found that â€Å"the majority believe the benefits outweigh the drawbacks† (Darnall et al, 2001). Some examples of how reacting to the environmental challenge can save companies money are by â€Å"improving efficiency and reducing the costs of energy, materials, fines and penalties† (Morrow and Rondinelli, 2002: 162). As mentioned previously, a company that can reduce their environmental incidents and liabilities not only gains from losing those fines, but also profits from decreasing risk, and becoming more attractive in the financial market. 5. Describe the relative advantages of anticipatory controls over continuing controls. Use examples to illustrate your answer. Environmental controls can be described as mechanisms that are used to limit environmental harm. A fundamental aspect of designing an EMS system is developing the controls that will be used. Environmental aspects (see below) must be identified to determine the â€Å"specific facility operations and activities associated with significant environmental aspects† (The Lexington Group, 2005: 40). From this, appropriate control procedures can be created for each activity to limit environmental impacts. Anticipatory controls are more advantageous than continuing controls because they allow an organization to attempt to avoid environmental harm in the first place, and take into account potential, impending environmental harm. If controls are changed in anticipation of a possible environmental impact, this control can attempt to curb damage before it happens. The alternative is continuing control that only changes after an event causes environmental damage and proves that the controls need to be changed. Given the â€Å"irreversibility† of much environmental damage, the advantage of anticipatory controls seems clear. 6. How would you describe the relationship between environmental aspects and impacts? Use examples to illustrate your answer. The ISO 14001 definition of environmental aspects are â€Å"feature[s] or characteristic[s] of an activity, product or service that affect, or can affect, the environment† (Praxiom Research Group, 2005), and environmental impacts are changes to the environment that can be positive or negative (Praxiom Research Group, 2005). Environmental impacts are produced by environmental aspects. For example, many industries often handle oil or other hazardous materials. When these activities are taking place, a possible environmental aspect is the â€Å"potential for accidental spillage† (The Lexington Group, 2005: 35). The effect of this environmental aspect, or the environmental impact, is the â€Å"contamination of soil or water† (The Lexington Group, 2005: 35). When determining the significance of an environmental aspect, it is important to take into consideration the probability, scale, severity, duration, and cost of reduction, of the environmental impact (The Lexingto n Group, 2005). 7. What is the role of the Environmental Policy and how is it defined by the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO)? An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a â€Å"systematic approach for managing an organization’s environmental issues and opportunities† (The Lexington Group, 2005: 15). The â€Å"heart and soul† (same as last) of the EMS is the â€Å"environmental policy†, defined by the ISO as a â€Å"statement [that] expresses a commitment to the implementation and maintenance of an organization’s environmental management system and the improvement of its overall environmental performance† (Praxiom Research Group, 2005: 1). The role of environmental policy is to prevent any environmental damage, as well as to ensure any industry is observing any legal or other requirements. An environmental policy should also craft environmental goals, and function as a basic framework for action. 8. What training needs should be considered when implementing an environmental management system (EMS)? â€Å"Effective training programs, including those that raise the environmental awareness levels of all people in the organization, are a critically important element in implementing and maintaining the EMS† (The Lexington Group, 2005: 14). A training program must deal with the importance of the environmental policy with all of the employees, as they â€Å"must understand and recognize the commitments† for the EMS to be successful (Anthony, 2001: 4). Additionally, for an EMS to be successful, all employees must appreciate and comprehend their particular roles and responsibilities, as well as the possible â€Å"consequences of not following operating procedures† (The Lexington Group, 2005: 25). Employees of a given organization should be able to associate and understand how their particular function fits into the wider environmental policy (Anthony, 2001). Depending on who uses or has access to the facility, it may also be advisable to train people other than inte rnal staff, or at least raise their awareness of the EMS (Anthony, 2001). 9. What role does audit play within an EMS and what are the key features of a successful audit? An audit within the EMS system is â€Å"a systematic, documented, objective review of the manner in which environmental aspects of a program, project, facility or corporation are being managed† (APPEGA, 2004: 7). The audit is necessary both to determine the design of the EMS at the start, as well as evaluate the progress of the EMS on a continual basis. An environmental audit at the start ensures that an industry has a â€Å"good understanding of its environmental effects before it [designs a] competent strateg[y] to reduce its impact† (OECD, 2001: 41). The EMS audit is a crucial necessity for any facility’s EMS to ensure that the facility is meeting the requirements of the EMS, and that it is being properly executed and sustained (The Lexington Group, 2005). For an audit to be successful, it is vital that it be â€Å"independent, objective and impartial† (Praxiom Research Group, 2005). A sound audit must also concentrate on priorities, such as particular operations that are associated with high risk, or activities that were singled out in a previous audit. 10. How might you gain senior management approval for the implementation of an EMS and why is such approval important? The Lexington Group, a management consulting firm, states that â€Å"gaining the full and complete support of senior management is the single most important challenge in establishing a formal EHS management system in an organization or facility†. Without the full support of the senior management, an EMS is unlikely to succeed. For example, senior management may approve an EMS but not really be committed, with environmental talk being â€Å"rhetoric rather than reality† (The Lexington Group, 2005:47). An EMS may not be a high priority because the senior management does not recognize the potential benefits. Making the case about the benefits of an EMS may be vital to gaining genuine senior management support. Presenting an account of improved community relations, higher employee productivity, reduced safety incidents, and reduced insurance premiums, all within the framework of cost-reduction, may be the means of gaining the necessary senior management approval (The Lexing ton Group, 2005). Works Cited: Anthony, A (2001) ISO 14001 Environmental Policy (4.2), available from: http://www.deq.virginia.gov/ems/pdf/mod5.pdf APPEGA (2004) Guideline for Environmental Practice, available from: http://www.apegga.org/pdf/Guidelines/18.pdf Darnall et al (2001) ‘Environmental management systems: Opportunities for improved environmental and business strategy?’, Environmental Quality Management, 9(3) pp 1-9. The Economist (2002) The Johannesburg Summit: Sustaining the poor’s development, 29 August 2002. Feldman, S, Soyka, P. and Ameer, P (1996) Does Improving a Firm’s Environmental Management System and Environmental Performance Result in a Higher Stock Price?, ICF Kaiser International. Florida, R and Davidson, D (2001) ‘Gaining from Green Management: Environmental management systems inside and outside the factory’, California Management Review, 43 (3) pp 64-65 Gale, R (1996) ISO 14001 to Tackle Green Triangle, available from: www.web.net/ecoeco/iso14000.htm Ho, Mae-Wan (2005) Are Economic Systems Like Organisms?, available from: www.i-sis.org.uk/hannove.php The Lexington Group (2005), Best Practice Guide: Application of ISO 14000 Environmental Management Systems (EMSs) for Municipalities, available from: http://www.iie.org/programs/energy/pdfs/Applic%20ISO%2014000%20for%20Municipalities.pdf Morrow, D and Rondinelli, D (2002) ‘Adopting Corporate Environmental Management Systems: Motivations and Results of ISO 14001 and EMAS Certification’, European Management Journal, 20(2), pp 159-171 OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) (2001) â€Å"Encouraging Environmental Management in Industry†, Science, Technology, Industry – Business and Industry Policy Forum Series, available from: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/10/32/2090553.pdf Praxiom Research Group (2005), ISO 14001 2004 Plain English Definitions, available from www.praxiom.com Rondinelli, D and Berry, M (2000), Environmental citizenship in multinational corporations: social responsibility and sustainable development, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina. WCED (1987) Our Common Future, the Brundtland Report, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Successful Application of Theory to a Placement Case Essay -- social w

An important aspect of social work is expert knowledge (Walker, 2012) and application of theory to practice, supported through research evidence (Dunk-West, 2013). In addition, the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF, The College of Social Work, 2012) outlines the expectations of social workers in the UK. As a student social worker, the PCF governs my development and practicing the application of theory is a critical stage in learning. To facilitate this application, I am placed with Southwark Council. Southwark has recently started an organisational restructure, incorporating Reclaiming Social Work (Forrester et al. 2013) and coining it â€Å"Social Work Matters† (Southwark Council, 2014), see Appendix A. As part of this structure, student social workers are given the opportunity to work with and reflect on active cases and apply theory to the placement work. This essay will demonstrate the successful application of theory to a placement case, which has been included in Appendix A, fully anonymised. The Walker family’s brief background and presenting needs have been outlined and will be referred to throughout. The social work process will inform the structure of this essay – assessment, deciding on outcomes and planning, intervention and finally evaluation (Howe, 2002).The relevance of the chosen theory will be considered in relation to the above steps in the process and strengths and weaknesses will be evaluated. In order to address all these points in a meaningful way within this process this essay will consider a combination of theory and method. To clarify, †Theory helps to predict or describe a particular phenomenon† (Teater, 2010: 2) hence being particularly useful in the assessment or evaluation states. The Walker ... ... the use of stimulant medications’, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50(1-2), pp. 180-193. Teater, B. (2010), Introduction to Applying Social Work Theories and Methods. Maidenhead: Open University Press. The College of Social Work (2012), Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF), Available at http://www.tcsw.org.uk/pcf.aspx (Accessed 20 March 2014). Ugazio, V., Fellin, L., Pennacchio, R., Negri, A. and Colciago, F. (2012), ‘Is systemic thinking really extraneous to common sense?’, Journal of Family Therapy, 34(1), pp. 53-71. Walker, S. (2012), Effective social work with children, young people and families putting systems theory into practice. London: SAGE. Woods, K., Bond, C., Humphrey, N., Symes, W. and Green, L. (2011), Systematic review of solution focused brief therapy with children and families: brief. London: Department for Education.

To What Extent Did the Russian Economy Improve in the Period 1894 to 1914?

The Russian economy is universally declared to have been a thoroughly backward prior to 1890s therefore it is highly likely that there was economic improvement in the given period; however the extent of this is difficult to define due to the varying manifestations of economic improvement and the independence with which they may occur. The finance minister during this period was Sergei Witte, and to him the majority of the improvements are credited, yet the improvement was not universal. Whether this was him personally or simply a product the awful conditions which the Russian economy rose from is to be decided. In 1897, 82% of the Russian population were peasants, leading one to the believe that any economic improvement must be both partially caused by and result in improvements in this area. This is because generally the greater the economic improvement the greater the amount of people are involved in bringing it about and the greater the number of people it affects for the better. The situation in 1894 was a mass of peasants that owned small and mainly subsistence farms. This meant that they sold very little of their produce and therefore had very little money. This was bad for two reasons. Firstly if they sold little then the state would have very little to sell to other countries, meaning that no extra wealth was coming in to Russia. Secondly, if the peasants had little money than they would not be able to buy much. If we acknowledge John Keynes’ theory of demand as true, this lack of it can only be seen as a severe impediment to the Russian economy. To answer the question, one must therefore decide if either the peasants started producing enough to sell or if less people were peasants. There is evidence to suggest that between 1890 and 1910 there was an increase of 38 million tonnes of cereals produced. One could argue that this shows economic improvement because they were working the land more efficiently, and therefore selling more so getting richer, the extra wealth generated would be pumped into other areas such as manufacturing due to the rise in demand. In addition the extra grain acquired by the government could be sold to other countries, and this money could then be spent on industry, improving the economy. This theory is complemented by the fact that between 1897 and 1914 Odessa, the major gain exporting port, saw a rise in population from 403 thousand to 499 thousand, which would lead one to believe that more eople lived there because there was more work to be done because there was more grain to export. On the other hand it could be believed that this does not show an improving economy firstly because it 74 million tonnes in 1910 is actually a lot less per hector then more developed countries were able to produce. They were still poor in comparison with other countries s uch as England which had experienced the industrial revolution and therefore had more efficient farming. In addition it must be taken into account that the population of Russia was rapidly increasing at this time, it doubled between 1861 and 1914 to 130 million people, therefore this increase in food production would not have lead to a vast amount of either overseas income or surplus money because they needed to eat most of it. This argument would lead one to the belief that on both an international and internal scale the agriculture of Russia shows very little economic improvement. It is, however commonly acknowledged that a failing of Witte’s was his lack of action in the agricultural department. The fact that in 1914 four-fifths of the population were still peasants that we have already asserted helped very little towards an economic improvement puts into great doubt the scale of such an improvement. Nevertheless it is possible for large change to be implemented by few people therefore instead of passing judgement based only on Witte’s weakest area of economic reform the others must be examined. Transport is highly necessary for a good economy because it allows workers to move to where there are jobs, business to trade goods with ease and ideas to spread quickly. Witte was aware of this and therefore undertook a massive project of railway extension going from 19510 miles of track in 1891 to 43850 miles in 1913. This included the Trans-Siberian railway which stretched from Moscow to Vladivostok and was meant to encourage the migration of workers from remote area to the manufacturing centre. Unfortunately this project was a disappointment internally as east-west migration did not increase significantly, which perhaps in explained by the fact that in 1914 sections were still incomplete. One could argue that the smaller scale railways were just as important because they allowed peasants to move from the overcrowded agricultural land to the cities where they could benefit the economy by working in factories. This may have happened to a small extent however we have already concluded that the majority of the peasants stayed peasants, besides by law peasants had to gain permission from village elders to move , stifling the desired rural to urban migration and therefore economic improvement. It must therefore be decided that internally the transport revolution helped to improve the Russian economy to an unexpectedly small amount. However the railway system in its vastness attracted international attention that was to improve the economy in other ways. The Trans-Siberian Railway was seen by other countries as a symbol of Russian enterprise and advancing society; this positive attention encouraged them to trade with Russia, therefore bringing in money, which in the long term would create demand and subsequently improving the Russian economy. Figures to back this are those of the comparative industrial output which rose from 109. 5 in 1904 to 163. 5 in 1913. As four fifths of the population were virtually incapable of buying this, we can only assume that the excess was either sold abroad or used on the railways. This will have brought money into Russia, improving the economy. One must then decide if the benefits of the foreign trade and the kick starting of industry was worth the massive amount the railways would have cost the government. In the long term it must be considered so, as without both something and someone to trade with the Russian economy would have taken much longer to improve. In addition, although the intended benefits were not seen within the given period, they may have appeared later, if the country had not been disrupted by war. However in the given time span economic improvement due to the railway was limited to the sector of foreign trust and therefore sales. The actual production of goods is often a good indicator of the success of an economy. There is no doubt that this happened in the years 1894 to 1914. For example between the years 1890 and 1913 the annual production in millions of tons rose from 5. to 35. 4 in coal, 0. 89 to 9. 1 in pig iron and 3. 9 to 9. 1 in oil. This is proof that in the industrial sector there was economic improvement. However it is known that much of this improvement was state directed, which would be fine if it were not for the fact that this direction was financed heavily by overseas loans. This meant that though the economy did improve, it was not strong in the way the France and Britain’s were because it firstl y needed state intervention to keep it going and secondly could not finance itself. If the improvements in this period in the economy could be continued over another twenty years, then it is probable that the loans would have been paid off and state intervention no longer necessary to such a large degree, however in this time period such drastic improvements were not possible. Therefore it must be understood although the industrial part of the economy did improve in measurements such as output and turnover during the given time period, it did not stabilise in a way that would make it strong. The improvement of an economy is all comparative, as well as comparing the Russian economy to how it way at the start and finish of the given period we must also compare it’s improvement to that of other countries, so as to create a more contextual answer. Of the five great powers, Russia shows the least increase in national income between 1894 and 1913 at 50% however its growth in national product between 1898 and 1913 is the highest at 96. 8%. The latter figure shows that Russia’s production of goods had gone up by fa more than its rivals, showing that the economy defiantly improved. After our inspection of both the industrial and agricultural sides of the economy it is possible to say that this improvement was almost entirely in industry. Never the less this shows great economic improvement. On the other hand the fact that Russia’s national income had increased the least shows that the people of Russia were not richer in comparison with the rest of the world. This may be firstly explained by the great increase in Russia’s population. Although production may have increased, the profit from it had to be shared out between more people. Therefore as a country the economy had improved but for the individual it was hardy better. Although this is still economic improvement it is far more precarious as unhappy individuals may lead to economy damaging strikes such as the 3574 in Russia, in 1914. The fact that other countries such as Britain invested in Russian economy supports the idea that the country as a whole was improving economically, as these advanced countries would not risk their money otherwise. The reason for this was firstly the railways, as has been discussed but also the fact that in 1897, the Russian currency was put on the Gold standard. This gave it strength when exchanged with other currencies, again helping Russia in the international climate but making it harder for Russian inhabitants to buy anything as prices naturally increased. Although putting the Russian rouble on the gold standard helped to stabilise the currency itself, it was not so powerful a move as to stabilise the economy and in fact added to the instability by further decreasing home sales. Therefore the Russian economy was improving greatly in comparison with its rivals in overseas sales and production, but this improvement was limited by domestic instabilities that Russia’s rivals had to a much lower degree. In conclusion the Russian economy did improve greatly between 1894 and 1914 however this improvement was confined to a very small sector of the economy. That sector was industry on a national scale. On an individual scale this improvement of the economy amounted to very little, with wages not allowing a significant growth in home demand. The agricultural side of the economy also improved very little, meaning that by 1914 four fifths of the people were not involved in the economical improvements to any great extent. The fact that the economic improvement was restricted to one area meant that it was unstable. On the other hand, although it must then be assumed that this improvement was greatly superficial in 1914, Russia was starting from the very bottom and therefore it is unlikely that a vastly improved in all areas and stable economy was possible in 20 years. If Russia’s economical improvement was extended at that rate for another 20 years then it would have had time to both gain security and reach out into other sectors that were overlooked in 1914, such as light industry. Therefore it must be concluded that between 1894 and 1913 there was great improvement in one area of the economy, which, due to its confinement was superficiality in an economic overview, yet due to the awful conditions in which this improvement operated in, it must be deemed substantial.

Narrative Story †Alcohol Essay

Last night I had a weird dream that I picked up again. There were no sign of me wanting to quit. It was like I left off from where I stopped 8 months ago. But I had moved back to my family home in the dream and it was during that day when this dream started. I knew it wasn’t all real because my friend who so happened to be in my dream doesn’t actually drive and for some reason he was driving a yellow school bus†¦ Anyway, it was just me, my friend and another guy I’ve never seen. Its summer time and it’s a warm day out because we have the driver’s window open and we’re sweating a bit. So my friend is driving us up to a little town where we work and there’s only one grocery store up there. See more: how to start a narrative essay for college So we are on our way as we’re chatting about something and I don’t exactly copy everything my friend is saying, because I’m sort of staring out of the window sitting beside my friend which is in the driver’s seat. I believe my mind is occupied with whether I want to stop by the grocery and liquor store, so out of nowhere I shake my head out of my trance and said to my friend: – â€Å"Hey man, you’re going right by the grocery and liquor store right? He slowly nods his head and looks at me with his eyes glaring at me like he knew what I was thinking. – â€Å"Yeah, why?† He replies. -â€Å"It is none of your business!† I tell him. He starts to shake his head and is muttering something in disappointment. Within a few minutes he stops at a red light by the grocery and liquor store and I hop out and tell him to come get me within 20 minutes, and then he speeds away. I proudly start walking to the liquor store and start grabbing hard liquor bottles and some beers and I pay the Chinese man behind the counter with a big smile. I drank 3 beers and 2 liquor bottles within only  20 minutes, and as I start to get a bit drunk I walk over to where my friend dropped me off by the traffic lights and I see him just zoom on by and I’m yelling at him to stop. He keeps driving for another 10-20 seconds and with clumsy driving skills he pulls over to the left side of the road. I laughed a little bit and shake my head at his bad driving skills and I quickly walked over with all my bottles in my gray backpack and then he out of nowhere decides to drive away from me, again. I’m screaming at him to stop and the drives away again for about 20-30 seconds and then stops. And because I was in my dream I was not tired and I was able to keep up with the bus, and when he finally pulled over my friend and this other guy I don’t know jumped out of the bus and started to throw rocks at me! I’m yelling at them to stop and ask why they are trying to hurt me. After a short while they finally stop, I walk towards them and my friend starts screaming: -â€Å"Again? Really? I thought we already had this conversation, you promised me to never drink again! Think about your family and all the promises you’ve made! You shouldn’t be drinking, you almost died last time!† As I am trying to calm him down he just shoves me down to the ground again. I somehow try to get back up but my legs won’t move! He starts saying something like: -â€Å"I told you this day would come! Look at you now, you look awful and now you can’t even walk anymore because your body is too damaged from the alcohol intake!† And then I just woke up. All sweaty and shaky I realized it was all just a dream! It somehow felt so freaking real. And when I do think about when I was drinking a year ago, my life was like a dream. None of it seemed real, because I wasn’t living a real life. I kept on drinking all the time, promised myself and my family to stop drinking, but I never did†¦ I’d go to important meetings hung over and buzzed, just throwing my life and career away. I didn’t value life anymore. I felt I had no reason to live. I couldn’t stop drinking on my own, it was nearly impossible and I ended up in two different rehabs from September to December. A.A meetings and therapy is  a part of my past. I have 69 days sober today. Today, even though most days are way beyond shitty and my emotions somehow drown me, at moments I feel a genuine happiness that can’t be found in any pill or medication! I feel grateful that I can look at myself in the mirror and proudly say: â€Å"I’m not a bad person. I can’t change my past and no matter how dirty my past is, my future is absolutely spotless. I take it day by day and I do not drink no matter what. Addiction is what I had, not who I am.†