According to a story in Tuesday's STAR, a St Thomas woman died after taking up a rum-drinking bet with some fellow drinkers who put up $1,500.

She is said to have consumed at least one-and-a-half flasks of white rum, which is believed to have caused her sudden death.

Obviously, this woman was not aware of the health hazards associated with the drinking of that much alcohol and, as a result, literally drank herself to death - a sad case indeed.

After all, no amount of money can make up for the value of life, so, to think that someone lost the precious gift of life over a few dollars is truly disheartening.

Situations such as these go to show that most times we simply act without much thought.

In such a case, also, it can be said that those who put up the bet can be held responsible to some extent.

The devil will indeed find work for idlers, and now it is almost certain that, if they could turn back the hands of time, they would do so in the blink of an eye.

Mind you, they might not have forced the woman to drink the rum, but the fact remains they were there and witnessed her doing so without interfering, until it was way too late.