Two-Day Hangover

It is no secret that alcohol is part of the social culture in college. Most of us have been to a college party where the main objective is to get drunk and let loose. For some of us, our first experience consuming alcohol occurred in high school.  For those of us that started drinking in high school, myself included, by the time we got to college, we believed we held a bachelors degree in drinking and partying. Unfortunately alcohol abuse is a prominent issue on college campuses. According to the National Council on Alcoholism about 80% of college students drink alcohol. Also, about half of college students that consume alcohol engage in binge drinking, which is drinking excessive amounts in a short period of time to get drunk. Why do young teens and adults like getting drunk? I asked my friend Mariah this question. She responded that, “it’s an escape; it brings people out of their shell to let loose and just have fun.” The fact is we get drunk as we believe it will bring about a good time.

When we were freshman, we all had to take an online course about alcohol abuse. This course was to inform us of the dangers of abusing alcohol in hopes that when we did drink, we would drink responsibly. Personally, me being my stubborn self, I found the course useless at the time as I felt I already knew all the information. I felt I knew my limits and I would never go overboard with my alcohol consumption. I was wrong and had to learn the hard way.

On New Years Eve of my sophomore year in college, I rang in the New Year at a party with friends from high school. We were partying on a college campus near my home in Northern California. That night consisted of taking pulls of Honey Jack Daniels, playing beer pong, and drinking champagne frankly like it was water. Never I have I ever consumed so much alcohol in one night in my life. My self-control that I had always trusted was gone. Random friends of friends that I never met before were pouring the vodka down my mouth and I gladly took it. I officially took it too far. Throughout that night and heading into the morning, I found my self violently and uncontrollably throwing up in the basement of my friend’s house. I threw up a total of 7 times that night. I woke up the next morning in excruciating pain that I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy. It felt like a blood pressure cuff wrapped around my chest that just kept squeezing me and wouldn’t release. I experienced dizziness like the world was moving around me and lost the appetite to eat. These symptoms went on for two days. I refer this as the 2-day hangover. During this time I couldn’t drive at all because I continually felt dizzy. I ultimately went to the doctor and got blood work done to make sure everything was okay. Never had alcohol done this much damage to my body. At the time I thought this pain would never go away.

            The truth is alcohol abuse in college is very prominent. Never did I think I, myself would take it too far to the point where I had to get blood drawn and explain that night to my doctor. As much pain as I was in for those few days, I was very lucky. Not everyone is lucky as I am a because according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse, about 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 died from alcohol-related injuries in a seven-year span. Most college students want to have a good time, and drinking has become part of that culture. But it’s important that we drink responsibly so that we stay safe.