Wednesday, October 21, 2009

No drinks---and with no apologies

I'm flabbergasted by the way I see people drink these days---I swear half the young people I know will be alcoholics by the time they're 30. This letter was written to Dear Abby in response to a column she wrote--it sums up the current drinking crisis among young people very well..

Dear Abby: I was thrilled to read "Sober in Scottsdale's" (July 28) letter about drinking. I'm a 21-year old college student who has also struggled with choosing to be sober amidst the majority of my drunken peers.

Most people my age drink only to get drunk and appear to be unable to have fun without the aid of alcohol. Every activity must be performed under the influence.

While at a nightclub, one friend asked me how I was able to "dance and have a good time without being drunk."

Abby, in your response to "Sober,", you said that drinkers should "mind their own business" because "there is usually a good reason why a person doesn't drink."

For me, there is no medical, metabolic or addiction problem that prevents me from consuming alcohol. but I have seen the effects it has on my peers---putting them in drunken stupors, using awful judgment, and being taken to the hospital after blacking out.

I left the college of my choice after one month because I could no longer stand hearing people in the bathroom vomiting all night long. Drinkers aren't ashamed of these displays. They brag about them to their friends the next day.

I sure hope this stage is one that will pass with age. I often long for the days when i was younger, when playing board games and sipping juice was considered a good time.

Signed----Not Drinking in New Jersey

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