FINAL!

December 14, 2009 jillstud87

To Drink or Not to Drink: A Not So Stupid Question

By JILLIAN STUDDARD

College can be seen as a very stressful time in a student’s life. Hofstra University senior, Danielle Levesque, 23, said after being in college for four years, she still doesn’t know how she fits in a part-time job, five classes and teaching aerobic classes at her university’s gym. A nice drink, she said, is sometimes required after a long day.

“It can get very stressful,” Levesque said. “I guess you just adjust yourself to being busy but sometimes it’s nice to go home and have a glass of wine. I don’t disagree with drinking alcohol but some people go too overboard with it. It’s not fun to go out sometimes because those people are just so annoying.”

She said during her freshman and sophomore years, she was out much more – almost every night. And by going out, she means drinking. Levesque and her roommates “drank because we thought it was cool, not because we needed to. There’s a difference in how I drink now and how I drank then.”

Nowadays, Levesque said she doesn’t need to go out and drink alcohol in order to maintain a social life. Her 23^rd birthday was last weekend and she said she stayed in for the night.

“When I turned 18 up until I turned 21, the drinking celebration went on all week,” she said. “I just find that ridiculous now. It’s unneeded. I’ve done pretty stupid things while drinking and it just isn’t worth it.”

Missing class, texting a boy she shouldn’t have or waking up with a “disgusting” hangover, are some of the things Levesque admitted to doing while drinking.

Kelly Donegan, 22, has never been to college but holds a degree in cosmetology. She said that she never had the desire to experience the college lifestyle, yet she said that she went through the same types of experiences as others studying for a degree.

“I like to go out and have fun just like any other college student,” she said. “Just because I don’t hold a degree from a college doesn’t change things.”

Donegan said she goes out about three to four times a week. After a busy work week and the stress of trying to make ends meet, she said she enjoys going out for a couple drinks with her friends.

“Drinking can be a release,” Donegan said, “I know it’s not a solution, but I think I’m young enough that I don’t have to apologize for it. I like to go out because it breaks up the monotony. I’m a hairdresser; I sit down and listen to other people’s problems all day long.”

Like Levesque, she also said she went out much more when she was younger.

“In high school,” Donegan said, “my friends and I would drink every Tuesday night during our senior year. Just because. We would walk into first period with hangovers at 17 and I’m sure that didn’t stop with my class –which is actually kind of sad.”

She said she thinks her drinking will decrease over time. A career, a family and “acting normal in public” are more important than “making memories you won’t even remember.”

Sources:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nik.gov:80/pmc/articles/PMC2711502

http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/govpubs/rpo995