At the end of May/beginning of June, in 1oth grade, one of my "friends" asked me what I was going to do for my birthday. It was my 16th birthday coming up in a few weeks. I responded with an "I don't know" because I'm not big on doing anything major for my own birthday. She replied with something along the lines of going to a party because I was turning 16 and I should really start partying. That pissed me off. Just because I was turning 16 doesn't mean I should go out and drink and smoke and forget everything the next day.
This friend of mine started partying at the beginning of that school year. Ever since then, we hung out less and less and another one of my friends and I were considered to be immature then. We were looked down upon for not going to these parties. We just wanted to have fun while sober...I didn't see the big deal.
It eventually got to the point where I would try to hang out with this friend, but whenever we set up a day to hang out, at the last minute she would say, "Oh, I am going to a friends house (the main party house) for the night, I forgot about that. You can come with me and watch. You don't have to drink."
I never went and I'm glad I didn't.
I thought about what would happen if I ever drank or smoke pot or anything like that. I am naturally an energetic person most of the time and that mixed with some sort of substance does not sound like the best idea. I am honestly scared to find out what I would do if I ever did any of that crap. It's just a bad idea all around. I don't see the point of me ever engaging in any of these fun filled activities.
I will admit, I have been around drunk people before. I have played games with them, helped them climb stairs, drove them home, kept them from falling, cleaned their wounds from being hit by tree branches, kept them out of trouble, etc. For all of those situations, I was the only sober one, or one of the few sober ones at that time. I was glad to be there to help them, those people I care about. But I never ever want to see myself in that situation. Since the 10th grade, I have decided to become straight-edge, which basically means, I live a clean life. The phrase "straight-edge" has been widely overused since I have decided to claim myself to be one. So, instead, I'll just call myself clean and leave it at that.
One thing I have noticed recently and that really bothers me is seeing people's decisions on what college to go to based off of the party scene. That's plain stupid. You are not paying a few thousand dollars a semester to party your butt off at college. If you want to party all the time, stay home, get a job at the gas station, and try to live your way through buying beer every weekend to have a great time. Go for it, it's your life. Just don't come to college expecting it to be one big party. Sure you can party sometimes, just don't forget about the work. Really, reality will slap you in the face, I promise. When the end of the semester rolls around and you get a letter in the mail saying you are dismissed from college because you haven't been putting any effort into your work, it's your own fault.
I understand that some people rely on drugs and alcohol because they are depressed, stressed, or need a break from life. I need those moments too I just take them in a completely different direction. I write, I cry, I take walks, I sit by a lake, I play music, I blast music, I vent, I'm quiet, I watch a funny movie, I read, I hug. I do anything to make myself feel better and not rely on any substance. People who do worry me, a lot. I know several people who have abused drugs and alcohol to the point of them overdosing or getting into some serious trouble. So many horrible things happens at parties, or when someones alone involving overdosing or something like that. It's reality, it's the truth, we can't ignore it. Why do some people chose to try to ignore it and get themselves into the same quicksand and they finally find out they can't escape. It's horrible I can't even explain this very well.
I chose not to party because I do not want to party. I know several people who do the same thing and that's why I am friends with them. I also know several people who will do what they want and party when they want and that's fine, just try not to worry me too much and take care of yourself. If you ask me to go to a party involving drinking and smoking instead of free food twister and piñatas, I'm most likely to say no. Don't be surprised when I do because I am sick of people being surprised that a college student doesn't party.
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