Teenage drinking, prostate checks and eating well Groundings 7 Nov, 2016

"Yeah, I only drink now and then, like every weekend and so"
"How old are you"
"17"

He could have been 12 , there with his mother who said she told him about the drinking in the way in which it seems like she gave up on him stopping drinking.

I said nah man, liquor aint good, and you supposed to be 18. He laughed because it is a big joke generally that nobody bothers with liquor and who should drink and at what age.

We talked about 'eating' .. he said that he had lost his appetite recently and not eaten much. He knew he had to eat well and exercise.



He said he doesn't really like to read but is looking for something to do so will try to read the book he picked up

He laughed as he walked away.. 'arite, i gun stop drink'

A woman who heard us said afterwards, it is crazy. A lot of young people drinking .. some of them have problems at home. I remember a conversation with some youngsters a few weeks ago. "My  husband used to smoke, he died of lung cancer at 53.. nothing could have stopped him"

I thought of the other young people who drinking and using other drugs. Some of them manage to get through life because they have support, others do not. Some of them promote alcohol use as a social lubricant, while others are condemning it.. it is not working out.

It is a lost cause really.

A man and woman stopped to pick up two books. The woman laughed and said she liked fast food and enjoyed, she knew it not good for her. I know too.. I binge on the junk when I at at my lowest and feel sick afterwards and promise never to eat again.. there are three fast food places on the road, nowhere really offering cheap food which includes vegetables, and other options. It is scary. The Chinese restaurant might have steamed greens. 

The question is "What do you do to take care of yourself..?" after people take up a free book.
The man said he does his medical check ups.. he was told he had an enlarged prostate but that the tests for cancer were expensive. He doesn't have any pain. I told him to check GRPA and find out.

A young woman said to take care of herself she reads and she makes sure she eats well and she exercises.

A young man who was selling nearby came up to check out the books. "My mother used to make me read.. ". He picked up a couple of books - he knew that not many young men read.


The city council woman asked if we had permission to be there. We pleaded with her saying that we not putting permanent structures. and we not selling and we not going to be there long. She said okay and walked away. I asked her if she wanted books.. she said no.

At another groundings, the police going home and the city constabulary had taken books.

A woman said she had a lot of books, but in Berbice. I suggested to her to do the same thing.. layout on a space and give them out free and gaff about things.