So I know that this is a topic that is probably well covered and has been re-hashed over and over again, but I want to bring it up.

In today's society, college means partying, which HAS to mean alcohol is involved. What happened to the days of going to so and so's birthday party and just hanging out. Nothing mattered when we were younger, why should it now? Yes, I know how prevalent alcohol and many other substances are in college, but why must it automatically be associated with it as soon as the word "party" is mentioned. Also, why must college be all about drinking and making decisions that you'll probably eventually regret?

Even though I've only been here for a week, I've been able to meet enough people to know that alcohol, drugs, sex, and many other things are a common occurrence around here. So, I've been thinking...why? Because it's one of the only ways you can fit in, right? Wrong.

Many of the newer students come here knowing close to no one and one of the only ways to meet new people is to go where there are lots of them, otherwise known as parties. It's obviously not easy enough to strike up a conversation with someone in between classes, or in the lunch line. You have to be inebriated before any conversing can happen, that way you can pretty much act however you want and no one will know any different. It seems to me that that philosophy carries on from year to year in a never ending cycle.

What made me want to write about this is a conversation Tyson and I had with a few girls we met today at lunch. They were telling us about how they weren't "alcoholics" as I claimed they were. So I asked one of them "Well, how often do you drink?" She responded with "Not that much, just probably about every weekend." Yeah, she's an alcoholic, and the first step to recovery is admitting your problems =]

They were both shocked when Tyson and I said we didn't party/drink. It was as if we were some foreign beings, and the fact that we don't drink didn't register in their minds.

Everyone chooses the path that they travel in life, ours happens to be a lot different from most others in college. Oh well, we still have fun.

-Bobby

Labels: alcohol, Bobby DeBarge, college life, generalizations