Opinion

To drink or not to drink

It's not a question

By Eric Russell

Posted on Sept. 30, 2002, at 12:00 a.m.

I am not a big drinker. For some, that might be interpreted as drinking on Thursdays and Fridays but not on Saturdays. So, allow me to be more specific.

I don’t drink at all. Of course I have before and I’m sure I will again at some point or another, but for all intents and purposes, I detest alcohol.

If you haven’t gone into shock from reading the last statement you may continue reading. Before I came to college, I realized there would be a point when my feelings on the subject would become a problem. College students drink, it’s not a big secret, and I was sure that if I didn’t take part I would essentially be alienating myself from the social aspect of college life.

Being a strong-willed person, I didn’t give in to any peer pressure to drink, and it turns out I was right about the whole alienation thing.

It didn’t take long for every student in my dorm to label me “the kid who doesn’t drink.” I was likable enough, but without that common ground people just stopped asking me to hang out altogether. I guess they figured I would be uncomfortable in an alcohol-soaked environment, but that was never the case.

But, allow me to back up a bit. The reason I don’t drink is a personal one and truthfully, it’s nobody’s damn business. The only relevance is that I do have a legitimate reason, however hard that is to believe for others who don’t share my sentiment.

However, even without this historical aversion to alcohol, I still don’t think drinking would appeal to me. Allow me to elaborate as to why.

Stop me if you have heard this story before. “You won’t believe what I did last night, I was soooo drunk…” Or how about this one? “I may have cheated on my boyfriend last night but I just can’t remember what happened.”

My point is this: Most every student here at UMaine has done something regretful as a direct result of consuming alcohol. Many of these incidences probably repeat themselves over and over again because the average drinker doesn’t know any better. I mean, how many times have you heard someone say, “I’m never going to drink like that again,” only to find them doing that very thing the next weekend?

Take these examples: When someone cheats on their partner, alcohol usually is involved. When you hear about date rape or sexual assault it often comes as no surprise that the victims, and often the rapists, are under the influence.

Many serious and even fatal car accidents come at the hands of a drunk driver. I’m sure everyone knows someone who was either injured or killed in this kind of crash.

Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I am uptight and a tad bit too conservative. I have friends who say I sacrifice fun at the expense of abstaining from alcohol. I will wear all of these labels, because it is something I believe in.

Besides, I get all the fun I need from the ounce of weed I smoke every day.

Eric Russell is a senior journalism major.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 30th, 2002, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.