| Is my friend an "anomaly"? In some regards (test scores, general intelligence), I suppose she is -- but her situation underscores the point that I was trying to make clear (and that you seem to be catching on to): those poor lifestyle choices, which first emerged as she fell in with the wrong crowd, came very close to ruining her future. The bad decisions started early, adn thus followed her through the rest of high school. She had everything in the world going for her, and the fact that she now has any less for such a stupid, preventable reason is a damn shame.
I was never trying to assert that you were scared of alcohol or immune to bad decisions, I was pondering why the prospect of not living up to this tremendous amount of potential you seem to have did not frighten you.
And my last piece, before I turn in for the night: Just as you do not understand why graduating having stayed sober during all of high school would feel rewarding, I do not understand why you would enjoy any less. I haven't been sheltered, my access to such substances has hardly been restricted. There were plenty of temptations -- plenty of my friends drink or smoke pot, I've been on several trips to Europe where alcohol was very much available.
Having pledged to myself during freshman year to maintain such abstinence, though, overcoming the temptations, even in the face of other obstacles, has simply been a rewarding experience. Some kids enter college knowing what their tolerance level might be, I'm entering college knowing that if I can handle X amount of stress and troubles sober, I can handle anything else thrown my way.
Our struggles, not our accomplishments, ultimately shape who we are. |