My Friend Michelle, an Alcoholic

This short story explores college's students experience with a friend with an alcohol problem. The author, Bidgid Stone, goes through different statistics while telling the story of her friend Michelle. This story identifies that drinking is a problem for students.
Michelle is party animal. She misses some of her classes because she continues to party all night and become drunk throughout the parties. She, like many college students, suffers acedemically due to her compulsive drinking. Bridgid often confronts Michelle about her drinking, but with little success. Eventually Bridgid and Michelle fall apart because of the alcoholism.
This story identifes a very large and common problem throughout this nation. Youth today are exposed to many different types of addictions everyday. They must fight to keep from falling into the addictions themselves. Teens are pushed to do drugs and drink in order to fit into a more "popular" standing. Unfortunately many teens fail to keep themselves from becoming addicted to the items.
I believe this story highlights the hardships of being a teenager transitioning into an adult. Often we, as people, try as hard as we can to fit in that we forget the very values we believed in as children. We were taught that smoking was bad and no one wanted to do that; drinking was not an option at a young age, it was not even a remote option. As we age, we are exposed to the cruelties of life. We lose our innocent quality and become more of a product of the "real world". We see as time progresses a childhood is shorter than the previous generation. We watch as children strain to becom adults and sadly fall onto a winding and dangerous trail.

Alcoholism

Dark forces have created a disease
That blocks even an angel's heart from reason.
Unnoticed flying freely through the the breeze
We're innocent participant's of treason.

There are some heroes fighting what is done
As this disease keeps spreading more and more
With government enforcing how it's run
A plague is spread about from shore to shore.

Can we allow without the slightest pause
The good of man to be so contradicted?
Can we believe it justified because
There are some folks who will not be afflicted?

Can it be worth the horrors and the fears?
The draining sore of human lives laid waste?
Can it be worth one battered daugther's tears?
To keep a germ because you like its taste?

We really know down deep inside what's right.
True angels know when blood is on our hands.
So thanks, but I'll just have a diet Sprite
And hope the one who joins me understands.

John H. Bidwell

I'm O.K., but You're Not

"I'm O.K., but You're Not" by Robert Zoellner is a story that shows people are quick to point out things they disapprove of. He explains how people only see wrong in the actions of others, not themselves throughout this short story. He uses an example from his daily life about a disapproval for smoking along with the disapproval for animal excrement.
The author tells his readers about a day when he went to a restaurant and deliberately annoyed an older couple by repeatedly smoking after being asked to quit. He explained that under normal circumstances he would put out his cigarette but this time it was different. He believed the couple, especially the gentleman, look particularly uppity. It almost annoyed him by just looking at the couple.
Disgusted by the smoking, the couple leaves in a hurry. As they rush out to their car, the author notices two poodles in the back seat pacing back and forth. The older couple opens their doors and the dogs rush to the restaurant's lawn to do their business. The author watches the animals continue to pollute the grass in complete distaste. He demonstrates how people find somethings absolutely repulsive,such as smoking, but will allow something revolting to happen, such as allowing animal excrement to cover the yard of a public area.
The author amazed me at how the mere sight of the older couple made him want to intentionally smoke. It seemed that he based a strong action off a simple observation. It was as if because he did not like how the couple looked, he chose to continue an action they did not like.
The story identified the actions taken by people are often disapproved by others. The blatantly obvious truth is no one will agree with actions taken by others 100 percent of the time. Another truth is everyone has a different perception of what is acceptable and what is not. When people are courteous to each other's perceptions, we lose the "I'm O.K., but You're Not" mind set.