Alcohol is One of the Most Commonly Misused Substances

Consuming alcohol at any age can be dangerous. Alcohol is one of the most commonly misused substances and has one of the highest rates of addiction. Underage consumption of alcohol can lead to early addiction problems as well as problems such as memory loss and kidney failure. Being a college student who is surrounded by alcohol often learning more about the dangers of alcohol from courses such as Under the Influence has really expanded my knowledge on both the short-term and long-term effects of alcohol.

After completing Under the Influence course, I have realized that although I am not a huge drinker at all, I do need to change my lifestyle. Under the Influence taught me information about alcohol I never knew such as the effect energy drinks have on a person who is also consuming alcohol and the consequences that can occur from drinking. Under the Influence has also opened up my eyes to facts and statistics about alcohol use in college. I feel as though when I thought about college before I always thought drinking was a huge part of the social life in college. Under the Influence has really opened up my eyes and showed me that drinking is not as common in college as I had thought it was.

With my incident specifically, I made bad choices. The first being I chose to possess alcohol while I am underage which is illegal. The second bad choice I made was bringing this alcohol to school with me after I made an agreement with my school that no alcohol or drugs would be brought or used on campus by me. Both of these decisions were made very poorly by me and because I did not make better ones, I received various consequences. I also could have had severe consequences with the law being that I am underage.

I could have prevented this situation by not only choosing to not consume alcohol as I am under the age but to also not of bringing the alcohol to school with me or into a campus apartment. Kutztown is a dry campus and I should have remembered that and the agreements I made upon moving in. I also could have chosen to not drink alcohol as a whole due to the horrible health effects it has on one’s self such as liver damage and possible failure, brain damage, and the effects it has on the inner lining of our stomach.

Being that I am only 19 drinking alcohol can have long-term effects not only on my liver and kidneys but on my brain and central nervous system as I get older. Deciding to drink and own alcohol especially as a college student is a very irresponsible decision that I regret making and I will work to do better by not doing this again until I am of the legal age. As a college student, I am here to study and excel at achieving my plans for the future.

My behavior impacted my roommates because we were all punished in one way or another as well as the resident life staff because they had to take time out of their day to deal with my misjudgments. I was not the only one affected by my bad decisions.

If I was placed in the same situation again, I would refuse to bring the alcohol to campus where it is not allowed. I would also refuse to consume any alcohol because I am underage. By making these changes I would avoid another situation like this one. I have learned a lot from this experience, but I think the greatest lesson is that no alcohol is worth any of this. No alcohol is worth taking a $40 course and risking my living on campus. I have learned to use better judgment and to not only think about how my actions might affect myself but how they might affect others as well. I so not feel that this decision reflects my character because I hold myself to a high standard and expect more of myself. Alcohol is a very dangerous substance and there are many examples in the accidents that occur to people while under the influence and many scientific reasons that should make the consumption of alcohol illegal. After taking this course I’ve realized this and may never have a sip of alcohol again. My eyes have been truly opened to the dangers of drinking and the irresponsibility of underaged drinking. I am glad that this has happened to me in a sense because now I can pass on the knowledge I’ve learned from this course and educate my friends and family on the true dangers of alcohol consumption. The affects it has on the body is no different than if you were to consume poison because in reality, that is what alcohol is. I wouldn’t want anyone to experience these consequences.

Being involved in Greek life here on campus has inspired me to take a stand within my own organization to educate my sisters on the dangers of alcohol and the possible effects it can have on people. I feel as though being a member of Greek life I definitely have more opportunities to drink than other outside of Greek life do. With alcohol constantly surrounding myself and others in Greek life I feel as though educating others is a huge part of being in Greek life.

To conclude no amount of alcohol is worth risking your own personal health or future on. Whether it be a worth $5 or $500 my future is worth much more than these figures. My job here in college is to do everything in my power to make my dreams for my future come true. By consuming alcohol, I am not only jeopardizing these dreams but also jeopardizing myself being able to physically make it to watch those dreams come true. I refuse to make these foolish decisions again and have decided to use this incident as a learning point in my college career.