Unaltered, College Campus Fun without booze?

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

You’ve been training for this since pee wee league football. You’ve hit the gym three times a week for a decade. You’ve logged countless hours of pro-ball on the telly, you’ve lived and breathed your sport of choice and made your mama proud, you made it to College ball. You’re playing with the big boys, really big boys. You participate fully in team sports and camaraderie of the sport of American life; living for the weekend. Big weekends and big fun always translate to consumption of alcohol. As American as Chevrolet and Apple Pie is Happy Hour. Americans are often associated with their overconsumption, their super size sodas, super size meals, super size work ethic and perhaps even super sized thirst for alcohol. What’s a relaxing “let-your hair down” Saturday night without throwing back a cold one- or three, if you’re over 225 lbs, a six pack? In the case of Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Husky tight end, he was just partaking in some super-size weekend fun. Right?

For some, alcohol leads to more alcohol. When they are switched on, they are ON. Perhaps for Seferian-Jenkins the series of events before his crime, yes DUI is a crime, may have been easily predicted. Even a bad day can lead to chain reaction of dangerous drinking. He could also be one of those where alcohol equals trouble? Perhaps it doesn’t just make him feel chatty or amorous. Maybe it fast forwards him into over-drive, makes him feel super human and erodes all good judgement. He didn’t consciously drive loaded, he just DID. Don’t pretend to be shocked. Alcohol does alter the brain. But which part? Did his just misfire? Did it skip over lightening his mood to alter his reasoning? This is not a unfamiliar story to find in the Sunday paper, although the punishment varies greatly. Some athletes are out a game. Some are out the whole season. Not only is his coach pissed, but he has just provided fodder for boundless cheap take downs for late night talk show hosts. Ouch…..how quickly we throw away a reputation that took years to build up.

It’s good to remind yourself, alcohol is a drug, a widely accepted, overly consumed drug. Why are we so carelessly open to altering the activity of our brain? When will dancing or bowling make a comeback and replace the ever popular pastime of drinking? Why are we so desperate to escape? When will the costs to our society be treated seriously enough to deter these athletes from using alcohol in excess in such a public arena? Even our parents don’t temper their modeling of regular consumption so as not to model any bad habits. We could easily point fingers “they preened us to be full on “drinkers!”

Studies show the earlier that kids use alcohol the more likely they are to become alcoholics? That’s a scary word. Who wants to be one of those! What is an alcoholic anyway? Is it someone who hides their beer? Someone who drinks the leftover booze in the bottom of the glasses leftover at parties? Maybe it’s just someone who acts like an ass when they drink? And how come some people don’t know when they are too drunk to drive? If you have a teenager in your home maybe you have answered these questions.

It’s pretty typical to expect pre-teens to sample alcohol. We did it. New brain science is quite convincing that the damage to early drinkers is greater than we thought. There’s a a good reason the legal drinking age is 21! With the additional stamina of an energy supplement chaser, drinking in the year 2013 is strangely like the cocaine binges of the 80’s. Moderation was a foreign concept. The other day a woman was telling me about this super “fun bar”-with all kinds of people, young and old, and college students were vomiting in the corner. This little detail was merly a description of the fun scene she was describing; it didn’t phase her. Like -vomiting was normal. Have you had this discussion with your kid? Vomiting is never good fun. Even if preceded by colored drinks with mini umbrellas and cute names. Driving impaired is also never fun. Admittedly we cannot just sit around and do cross word puzzles on Saturday night. BUT, we may want to redefine “fun” and what constitutes a good weekend night out. Have the discussion with budding teens about fun. How can young adults embark on a college path of study by day, feverishly working to expand the capacities of those brains with so little regard for brain cell destruction by night? How do we let loose without drugging ourselves to escape? If you are a college-aged student, athlete, an under engaged extrovert, throw a dance party, a themed potluck, a group poker night, a talent show, challenge people to be drug free for a change on Saturday night. See what you’re like unaltered? Maybe you will like the effect of just plain you? As for Austin Seferian-Jenkins- shame on you. You’re a role model, act like one. Apologize to your fans and to yourself. Make a better choice publicly- so we can see how you remedy your mistake positively.

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE