I did it. I partied with the best of them, and paid my dues. I'm still paying in some ways... And now, I have young adult children who are expected to experiment and participate because of their age, and I'd like them to be spared the cost.
Looking at the situation with sober, adult eyes, I don't understand the draw of rebellion and getting wasted, but I know it's real and I know it's powerful. We spend a fortune on college educations, and so much of the college experience is focused on getting drunk, and being drunk, and who got drunk, and what happened when we were drunk, and how much fun we must have had... even though we can't really remember any of it clearly.
I believe we underestimate the effect of alcohol on the productivity of our youth. We let them get away with irresponsibility and actually encourage and excuse it as a certain privilege of their age. But perhaps, young adulthood is the time to be forming healthy habits for a lifetime instead of chasing the perfect buzz.
It makes me thoughtful. Is the way it is really the way it has to be, or is there a better way? A higher road? A more satisfying experience for burgeoning young adults to be "cool" and have fun? I don't have the answers, but it seems worth it to me to ask the questions anyway. Are we culturally too permissive with our young adults? And does it end up harming us all in the long run? Are the things we promote as fun really fun, or are they Russian Roulette instead, and just a matter of time to see who ends up dead from too much alcohol, or inopportunely pregnant, or compromised beyond redemption?
Good clean fun is my prayer for young adults. I bring awareness to the high cost of drunken behavior and promote healthy alternatives in any way I can.
