The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/2/09 Section: Opinions

LAURA BRAZIEL

On my 21st birthday last February, I did not get a bartender to spank me or defecate all over the bathroom stall. I had a low-key toga party at a friend's house.

So I was disgusted when I read [last Friday's "License To Party," by Caitlin Byrnes], that in some circles such behavior comes out of degrading efforts to celebrate 21st birthdays.

I have seen many drunken students making frantic efforts to celebrate by immersing themselves in alcohol and unknowingly presenting themselves to the public.

I have seen a girl who wore a long, low cut, bright blue dress who was so intoxicated that she did not realize that her breast was hanging out and had to be told by a friend to cover up.

I have seen a guy in a green polo and tan visor with his knees on the sidewalk and head next to a tree, throwing up a night full of booze while his buddies kept a watch out for cops on bikes.

Many of my friends have gotten trashed on their 21st birthdays, and I don't know why - they were getting trashed before their birthday. I guess it's because they don't have to be closet drinkers anymore, they don't have to rely on others providing the beer, they can now go out in public and buy it themselves - that is something worth celebrating.

"A recent University of Missouri study found that many college students excessively drink on their 21st birthdays, a move that could sabotage their health. After surveying more than 2,500 current and former college students, researchers found that 34 percent of men and 24 percent of women reported consuming 21 drinks or more, with a drink maximum of 30 for women and 50 for men."

"Researchers also estimated the respondents' blood alcohol content, reporting that 49 percent of men and 35 percent of women had estimated BAC of 0.26 or higher, a level that indicates severe intoxication that could lead to a coma or death."

So drinking too much is dangerous and could result in coma or death.

When you turn 25, are you going to go and rent as many cars as you can because you're of age? When you turned 18, did you buy a ton of lottery tickets at the gas station on the corner because you could?

No.

You might rent a car and buy a lottery ticket to feel older, but you wouldn't go overboard. And if you did, who cares? Neither one is life threatening. You can only drive one car at the time, and you might become broke from buying all of the mega millions at the Quik Stop, but it wouldn't kill you.

So why does alcohol, a substance that could cause brain damage, make you sick, and potentially kill you become the substance that is over done?

Let's take a step back and think about the situation. It's your 21st birthday. You are nearing graduation. That night, you go out with some friends and have a few drinks and celebrate you being on this earth for 21 years. You play a little pool and dance. You go home not throwing up, not with a splitting headache, and not having done something that you couldn't remember.

What is so terrible about that night? Maybe students enjoy being ridiculous and crapping all over a stall or having their butt shown to a whole bar.

I'll stick to the scenario that I can remember and the one that won't kill me.

- Laura Braziel is a senior from Fitzgerald majoring in magazines.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools