I had maybe two beers before I turned 21, I think I have always had this profound respect for law and doing the right thing, I don’t know…

When I turned 21 I was in a war zone in Eastern Afghanistan, I couldn’t even have a near beer to celebrate because all of the Spec Ops boys drank them all. When I got home from Afghanistan I didn’t drink that much (unlike most of my peers) beer here, liquor there…didn’t do much for me to just pound it down. I much prefer drinking the good stuff and savoring the flavor of a top notch beverage. I didn’t boast about a crazy night at the club (because it never happened) I didn’t post all over social media how awesome it was to down a whole fifth of jack, because that’s not what men do.

I don’t drink away the pain like most grunts do I just push through it. I don’t know what it is but colleges seem to impress this stigmatic peer pressure of alcoholism among their students. According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 4 out of 5 students drink alcohol. About half of college students that drink consume alcohol through binge drinking. What’s the point? What terribly traumatic experience has made you turn away from responsibility and turn to the bottle?

I can at least understand why Vet’s drink although I stay away from it as much as possible. I have seen death, I’ve carried dead children and handed them to their weeping parents. Was math class really that hard this week? I don’t expect sympathy and I won’t drink my sorrows away. I like being in control of me, when you lose control of what you do you stop being a rational man and start being an irrational animal.

Furthermore and most importantly, as someone who employs people I wouldn’t hire you if you had a large amount of unruly posts about drinking escapades on your social media. It doesn’t instill in me the idea that you are a grown mature adult. Be smart. Enjoy alcoholic beverages in moderation. 

Don’t give up your life or your school work because of stupidity.