Those who never have been guilty of any indiscretion are generally people who have very little active virtue. West of Lone Pine, spiritual battles rage. In the 1920s, passengers and crew aboard a narrow-gauge mountainside train witnessed a terrible conflict between the United States of America Cavalry, and the Paiute Indians. The strangest thing about this conflict was that the fighting had actually occurred in the 1860s; the people on the train were actually seeing a spectral replay of the deadly combat. Echoes of a similar skirmish have been heard on nearby Portal Road for more than 100 years. If the human mind is not actively good, it will generally be actively unhealthy. Alcohol is the common name for ethyl alcohol, the intoxicating element in fermented and distilled liquor. I am sure you have heard people call alcohol spirts, and many people want to know why? Alcohol comes from the Arabic term al-huhl, which is the name of a body-eating spirit. When alchemists ingested alcohol, their senses deadened, and they named the substance according to its body-taking qualities. Knowing this, Europeans called alcohol spirits because it seemed like when people were under the influence of this power drug, a spirit would jump into their body and take control of their mind program and reactions, people seemed to be possessed.

The greatest devil among us has his white spots, and the purest saint has ink-black stains which will be clearly visible if he does not keep his white clothing too tight about him. People seldom commit a sin without intending to derive benefit from it. It is said in Victorian myth that drugs and alcohol open the gateway to hell and allowed for spirits to infect you, and take control, until the drug wears off, if it ever does. Kennedy Meadows is just southwest of Lone Pine. As with so many spots in this part of California desert, a mining community once existed there in 1849, when the Gold Rush, in California was at its heights. During the 1800s, a lot of the miners used to drink moonshine, and they recalled seeing a solitary spirit—and a rather unnerving one at that. The Specter’s first name is no longer known because he was commonly called “Mac,” short for his surname of MacSpreem. Mac was certainly not a bad man—he was merely eccentric, and he liked to drink rather a lot. His death was a direct result of that habit; he was murdered in 1948 during an argument that involved the lethal combination of alcohol and guns. It is unlikely that Mac’s ghost ever intentionally frightens anyone; it is just that his invisible spirit manifests itself as a rather unnerving icy coldness. In the Early 1970s, two brothers, Jake and Frank Davis, were hiking in the Lone Pine area with their dog. The weather was mild and they intended to camp out. When the brothers came across a depression, in a sheltered area, it seemed like the perfect spot to set up camp.

 Although they had no way of knowing this at the time, they were not the first to choose the camp site—MacSpreem had lived there some 30 years earlier. It had also been the site of his murder and was the spot where his ghost continued to linger. Jake was the first of the Davis brothers to encounter the phantom, after having just one shot of moonshine, which is an adult alcoholic beverage, once illegal, but now being produced and sold in stores. It is a watered down version of the original moonshine, but very strong. He was crouched down to unite some camping equipment, when a terrible chill seemed to pass right through his body. Standing up in a near panic, he looked around to see what might have caused the uncomfortable sensation. Judging by stillness of the nearby trees, it had not been wind that he felt. Equally puzzling was the fact that Frank seemed oblivious to any unusual occurrence, but Frank had not been drinking with Jake. “I told myself it was only my imagination,” Jake explained. So he offered his brother Frank a shot of moonshine, so he could warm up, and set about to finish the chore at hand. To help them stay warm, the brothers needed to build a fire pit. Thinking he saw an ideal spot, Jake called his brother over to see if he agreed. As Jake watched, Frank started to make his way across the 10 feet that separated them.

  When Frank stopped and gave an enormous shudder, Jake knew that his brother had just experienced the same, strange sensation he had felt a few minutes earlier. “What was that? It felt like a sheet of ice passed right through me!” Frank blurted out. “I don’t know, but I felt it myself a few minutes ago,” Jake answered. “Well, whatever it was, I’m glad it’s gone. Yeah, that looks like a good location for the fire. What are you waiting for?” the older brother teased. “Get to digging!” 
As Jake dug, Frank collected rocks to rim the pit. The men had not been working more than five minutes when each of them felt the same icy shadow pass through their bodies. “I’ve had enough of this place,” Jake exclaimed. “Let’s get out of here!” “Yeah, it feels like something keeps walking right through me,” Frank whispered. “I sure don’t like it—and I get the impression it doesn’t like us much either.” The two brothers packed up their gear in record time. Once they were safely back in Lone Pine, they began to make discreet inquires, at a local drinking hole. Before long, they were told about a little piece of local history that might have changed their camping plans if they had known about it beforehand. It seemed that Frank and Jake, like many others before them, had been attracted to the spot that MacSpreem had called home. No one actually seeing Mac’s ghost, but everyone was convinced that his invisible—and icy cold—soul remained at the site of his murder.

Mac seems to be merely carrying on with his life—after death—and probably has no idea that his bone-chilling presence has been spooking people for ages now. Then again, how could he know if he does not even realize that he is dead? Contrary to popular belief, alcohol is not a stimulant. The apparent gaiety at drinking parties is due to alcohol’s effect as a depressant. Small amounts of alcohol reduce inhibitions and produce feelings of relaxation and euphoria. Larger amount cause ever-greater impairment of the brain, until the drink loses consciousness. Alcohol is also not an aphrodisiac. It usually impairs sexual performance, particularly in males. Drinking provokes the desire, but takes away the performance. Abuse—Alcohol, the World’s favorite depressant, breeds our biggest drug problem. Over 200 million people in North America use alcohol. An estimated 25 million have serious drinking problems. An alarming trend is the high level of alcohol abuse among adolescents and young adults. Fifty person of male college students and 40 percent of college women are considered alcoholics because they binge drink. For fraternity and sorority members, the figure jumps to 84 percent—would be nice to see college student have more daytime parties, with no drinking, as it would reduce sexual assaults and deaths.

Binge drinking is defined as downing 5 or more drinks in a short time. However, many of you can actually only handle one mixed drink before you blackout. Apparently, many students think it is entertaining to get completely wasted and throw up on their friends. However, binge drinking is responsible for an estimated 50 death of United States of America college students a year and thousands of trips to the Emergency Room. Children of alcoholics and those who have other relatives who abuse alcohol are at greater risk for becoming alcohol abusers themselves. So are youths, who begin drinking, before the age of 15. Women also face some special risks. For one thing, alcohol is absorbed faster and metabolized more slowly by women’s bodies. The result is that women get intoxicated from less alcohol than men do. Women who drink are also more prone to liver disease, osteoporosis, and depression. A few as 3 drinks a week may increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer by 50 percent. In addition, women who abuse alcohol are more likely to face social rejection and stigma than men, who drink similar amounts. Encouraging reinforcement—drinking for pleasure—motivates most people, who consume alcohol, but what sets alcohol abusers apart is that they also drink to cope with negative emotions, such as anxiety and depression. That is why alcohol abuse increase with the level of stress in people’s lives. People who drink to relieve bad feelings are at great risk of catching the disease of alcoholism.

What are the signs of alcohol abuse? Because alcohol abuse is such a common problem, it is important to recognize the danger signals. The path from a social drinker to a problem drinker to and alcoholic is often subtle. Early warnings: you are beginning to feel guilty about your drinking. You drink more than you sued to and tend to gulp your drinks. You try to have a few extra drinks before or after drinking with others. You have begun to drink at certain times or to get through certain situations. You drink to relieve feelings of boredom, depression, anxiety, or inadequacy. You are sensitive when others mention your drinking. You have had memory blackouts or have passed out while drinking. Signals not to be ignored: there are times when you need a drink. You drink in the morning to overcome a hangover. You promise to drink less and are lying about your drinking. You often regret what you have said or done, while drinking. You are on social media drunk and cursing people out and think you are talking to demons. You have weekend drinking bouts and Monday hangovers. You have lost time at work or school because of your drinking. You are noticeably drunk on air Diane, at work, or on important occasion. Your relationship to family and friends has change because of your drinking.

In the initial phase, the social drinker begins to turn more often to alcohol to relieve tension or to feel good. Four danger signals in this period that signal excessive dependence on alcohol are: increasing consumption—the individual drinks more and more and may begin to worry about his or her drinking. Morning drinking is a dangerous sign, typically, unless you work nights and morning is your night. No one has the right to judge your purchases or when you make them. Regretted behavior is bad and a dangerous sign, you should not feel guilty or embarrassed. If you do, there is a problem. Be careful of blackout, abusive drinking may be revealed by an inability to remember what happened during intoxication. Drinking becomes crucial when a person loses control and after one drink is taken, they cannot stop drinking, it should not lead to a chain reaction. However, chronic phase is extremely concerning. At this point, alcoholics drink compulsively and continuously. They rarely eat, they become intoxicated from far less alcohol than before, and they crave alcohol when deprived of it. Work, family ties, and social life all deteriorate. Their self-drugging is usually so compulsive that when given a choice, the bottle comes before friends, relatives, employment, and self-esteem. The alcoholic is an addict.

Treatment for alcohol dependence begins with sobering up the person and cutting off the supply. This phase is referred to as detoxification (literally, to remove poison). It frequently produces all the symptoms of drug withdrawal and can be extremely unpleasant. Next step is to try to restore the person’s health. Heavy abuse of alcohol usually causes severe damage to the body organs and the nervous system. When alcoholics have dried out and their healthy has been restored, they may be treated with tranquilizer, antidepressants, psychotherapy or religion—maybe a combination of them all. Some people even benefit from group counseling, at Kaiser, Sutter, or Mercy hospital. However, there is a tendency for abusive drinkers to deny that they have a problem. If you think you have a drinking problem, then stop, and see how long you can go without having a drink. The sooner they seek help, the better. My vision of God is dependent upon the condition of my character. My character determines whether or not truth can even be revealed to me. There must be something in my character that conforms to the likeness of God. What I need is God’s surgical procedure—not moonshine. The use of God’s external circumstances tends to bring about internal purification. Keep paying the price. Let God see that you are willing to live up to the vision. I will write of God’s great love forever; my typewriter will make your faithfulness known through all generations. God’s love stands firm forever.