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
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I have not read this article but it sounds very interesting. It is so sad how today more and more people have substance abuse problems and lose family and friends from it. I personally haven't had this happen but I don't know if I could handle it. I have watched the show Intervention multiple times and have gotten emotional. I can't imagine going through that with my own family or friend. Although I did like your writing, I partially disagree with the part about peer pressure. Of course every teen is faced with it but some teens just experiment on their own without any pressure. I just think everyone sterotypes all teens who have fallen into this type of lifestyle into a "peer pressure" group who just do that kind of thing to be cool when many of them have just choose this lifestyle because that's what they like.
ReplyDeleteCollege is a huge transition for anyone and being introduced to substances that you may have never been around before may be hard for some to dodge. Peer pressure in college may not be verbal like it was in highschool, but, sitting back and watching everyone do certain things sometimes makes you curious. Just know how to do the right thing and stay away from harmfull things, such as drugs and alcohol.
ReplyDelete