Why doing drugs is no joke

Samantha Durham | Assistant Opinion Editor

A few weeks ago, fans and spectators alike mourned the death of baseball player Jose Fernandez. Fernandez died in a boating accident on Sept. 24 at the age of 24. Many considered this to be a tragic and unpredictable event. However, as of recently it has been discovered that on the day of Fernandez’s death, cocaine and alcohol were in his system, reported The New York Times.

Fernandez, pitcher for the Miami Marlins, was not the only one who perished during the boating accident. His friends, Eduardo Rivero and Emilio Jesus Macias also died during the accident, according to The New York Times. All three men suffered from blunt-force injuries to their bodies and heads.

The New York Times reported that Fernandez had a blood alcohol level of 0.147, which is above Florida’s limit of 0.08. Both friends were below the legal alcohol level; however, Rivero did have cocaine in his system.

This should send a huge message to everyone out there about the dangers of drug and alcohol use. Maybe if Fernandez and his friends had avoided using cocaine and drinking during their time out, they might still be alive.

Cocaine is a highly addictive drug and can cause serious side effects such as aggression, heart attacks, increased heart rate and euphoria just to name a few. Mixed with alcohol is a life threatening risk and can lead to incidents like this one.

Many people might think that they are immune or “better than” the symptoms of using drugs and alcohol. Everyone at one point has once thought, “Oh, well that won’t happen to me.” But the truth is you never know what could happen. Avoiding dangerous drugs is important to having a safe, healthy life, and these drugs can also jeopardize your future in a career or elsewhere.

No one is immune to drugs. It can affect you in big and small ways. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about six people die in the United States everyday, on average, from alcohol poisoning. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that there was a 42 percent increase in deaths due to cocaine between 2001 and 2014.

It is important to think about what you do before you do it. You never know what might happen or whom you might hurt if you are under the influence of drugs. What is important is being aware of the effects and avoiding them not only to protect yourself, but also those around you. Jose Fernandez’s death was a tragedy but also a serious reminder of the detrimental things that can happen due to using alcohol and drugs.