Maybe it's because I started drinking when I was 14'shhh, don't tell my parents'but I find so many results of alcohol consumption I've seen in my first year in college to be stupid and unnecessary. Don't get me wrong, I am happy to partake in some underage drinking every now and then, but I have seen and heard so many unfortunate stories that it makes me a little hesitant. I'm no saint; some of those stories are mine. I still regret New Year's. But how do things manage to get so out of hand?
I feel it's a lack of respect and understanding for the \booze."" Admittedly, 14 was young to start drinking, but my brother'always quick in helping me grow up'taught me a thing or two along the way. Some of those teachings were inadvertent. One of my favorites was his helping me to understand why one should not drink too much by slamming my head into a wall, and how could I forget the Big Gulp incident? Don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds, and it certainly isn't as bad as a drunken hook-up or drunk driving.
Point is, my brother taught me how to drink responsibly, what to do when others don't and how to handle myself when things get tough. There is no way that I or anyone else can be prepared for all the dangers of drinking, but a healthy knowledge of them doesn't hurt.
Starting when I did, I have seen so many Johnny-come-latelys start their drinking careers. And so many of them have told me how they ""owe me one"" or ""I'm glad you were there."" Many times the solution was simple, but I was the only one who knew what to do. A part of me is happy to be the hero, but another part is worried that someone like myself won't always be there.
I guess everyone has to learn some hard lessons in anything they do, but the college party scene scares me that way. The lessons here are much harder and the consequences are on a larger scale. Not to mention the number of people keeping an eye on someone is far fewer. Drinkers can't all be so lucky as to have an overzealous older brother or a self-righteous, drinking-since-middle-school friend; that's why we need to look out for ourselves as well as each other.
I suggest always keeping in touch with at least one or two people during the evening. That way you can all keep track of each other while still having fun. My roommate always keeps me posted on when he's leaving. (Of course that's because he usually wants me to go eat pizza with him.) But when my caring observers leave without me, I use Plan B. Plan B is having a good idea of my tolerance and how much I've had. Then I take the derivative with respect to X and Y. But seriously, I just try to monitor myself. If that sounds like too much work and not enough fun, I assure you there's room for fun.
Despite my ""foolproof"" method, I have still managed to spend some quality time eating dinner in reverse. If none of this sounds enticing, come up with your own idea, but I beg you not to buy those stupid one-time breathalyzers. If you opt for that over my suggestions, or your own ideas, I have a better offer. Why don't you bring $5 over to my place and I can tell you how drunk you are?
Whatever you choose, I just ask you all to be safe. I'm sure I've run in to many of you in my drunken wanderings and I thank you for the good times. But meeting crazy drunks is fun; meeting sick drunks is just plain pathetic. So do yourself, and everyone you encounter, a favor and make your drinking experiences memorable in a good way. No one wants to hang his or her head over a toilet and wonder if it's worth it to keep from drowning.
