The Drinking Dilemma...

I love my friends, I love to party, and I love to be social, but sometimes, there draws a line with where one can loving and fun and where one needs to draw a line. Last night would be one of them. Not but an hour ago, paramedics came and took away a dear friend of mine who was so drunk that she was found under a car talking to herself in front of a fraternity. I rolled into my room around 12am on Friday, after kicking off another party weekend with "Thirsty Thursday". I must of been in my room for no more than 20 minutes, when suddenly there was a knock on the door and a frantic Molly was at the door worried and looked pale as a ghost. Turns out our dear friend from the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority Barbie, went out for her Freshman kidnapping by her sisters from her sororities and was dragged home by Molly after she received a call to come pick up Barbie. Barbie came back to the dorm, so drunk that she couldn't barely walk, and when they got her into the room, she was throwing up everything in their bathroom. She was falling unconscious and barely breathing at a certain point and finally the RA on call had to call the paramedics to who needed to haul her to the hospital for treatment because she was really that sick.

Molly and Kelly who share the room with Barbie cleaned up after Barbie when she left and I went to get Barbie's cell phone and sweater so that when I went to pick her up she wouldn't be freezing. I watched as the paramedics took Barbie away from my window and she looked so ashamed of it all. She was covering her face as they put her in the ambulance, as if people would see her face and shake their heads. I called every hour on the hour to check up on Barbie in the hospital and see if she needed to be picked up when she was discharged. Turns out that she was there for about 5 hours before I went to pick her up from the hospital. I remember being her at one time, the social drinker who loved her vodka a little too much. But I drank to forget sometimes, and I drank so that I would be more loose. Now I know the affects of alcohol and don't want to drink, but thats my own thing.

The hours following Barbie's return to the dorm and the morning after the whole debacle, gave a new side to Barbie to everyone who thought they were close to her. She truly believed that she would have to walk home from the hospital, which gave me insight into who she believed her friends were. And the following moments, she was rude and disrespectful to the people who were there for her during her hours of need, who felt at loss when they could not seem to make her feel better. It changes your perspective on people when they shun the very people who showed true commitment (and if I dare to say Love) for their friend.

Alcohol will always have its affects on people, especially college students who don't know how much to drink or where to draw the line. Especially those who are drinking underage. These are our golden years, our years to empower our spirits of independence, to discover who we are and to make lasting friendships for the rest of our lives. We will all learn the consequences of our mistakes and the benefits of our sober thinking.

The drinking dilemma makes me wonder... what is college life without the alcohol? Molly swears off drinking for a while now after the whole Barbie debacle, she was truly scared and I don't think she wants to feel that way again, a helpless feeling where you want to help, but are at an end to the road. Barbie is angry at what she called an "over reaction" to her drunkenness.

Personally... I think time and some sober time off will teach everyone a lesson about the abuse of alcohol and when its just fun versus when its alcoholism.

Does anyone believe college kids have a higher alcohol abuse rate than any other age group?