<p>I’ve seen two threads recently about drunk roommates and I have the same situation. However, I have a different approach. I think I’m going to give them the cold shoulder when they’re drunk aka not giving two cents about their health/what happens to them. I mean think about it…if you’re going to drink, you’re taking the responsibility of all the possible consequences that come with it. So if you choke to death, get caught, get hit by a car, that is essentially YOUR problem because YOU chose to drink. My thing is that no one puts a gun to your head and says “drink x cans of beer or I’ll blow your brains out”; you choose to drink and to the weak individuals who are easily sapped into peer pressure that’s your problem too; maybe if you weren’t so weak and easily manipulated you wouldn’t feel forced to drink.</p>
<p>Now I don’t have a problem with those who drink, like a poster said in the other thread, do whatever the heck you want. My problem lies with those who get ****ed face drunk and then expect people to play doctor and mommy/daddy to them. </p>
<p>So yeah, I’m not going to give two cents anymore. I’m not paying 55k to play doctor or mommy or daddy to my drunk roommates. I’m done. Whatever happens to them when they drink/get drunk is on them and I just hope their life isn’t at stake, but if it is, that’s their problem. Not mine.</p>
<p>*note: I use “You/You’re” in the general sense. </p>
<p>So what are your thoughts about giving drunk roommates the cold shoulder? Discuss away.</p>
<p>If a ■■■■■■■■ jerk was sitting in a train track, would you push him aside, or point and laugh?</p>
<p>Because the tone of your post sounds like you would point and laugh. If your roommate it choking on his own vomit from alcohol poisoning, it’s your duty as a human being to do what you can to help.</p>
<p>Sure, you shouldn’t have to deal with this - and you should address the problem as firmly as you can. But if you knowingly let a drunk roommate die by not turning him over, etc., I’d charge you with murder or manslaughter.</p>
<p>Recent experience seems to have brought out the worst in you. I think you should seek a living situation with others who don’t overindulge, but in the meantime, if you see someone in danger you have a duty as a human being to call for help. Dialing 911 isn’t the same as cleaning up after prayer hour with the porceline god.</p>
<p>This isn’t about the drinking. It’s about compassion and an immediate consequence of bad judgment – death. If you would be unwilling to help someone out, regardless of reason for their being in that situation in the first place, I wouldn’t want you anywhere near me ever.</p>
<p>Crew2011 - We’re not buddies; we’re roommates. Those are two completely different things.</p>
<p>NotBlue - someone who’s ■■■■■■■■ doesn’t choose to be ■■■■■■■■; someone who’s drunk chooses to be drunk.</p>
<p>To the other posters, it’s not my duty to do anything. When ever they’re drunk I’m leaving/going to sleep. I really could care less. I’m not paying 55k out of my pocket to have 911 on speed dial. It’s not fair to me that I have to play doctor or someone’s mom. So I’m in the wrong for not helping someone who is **** drunk but they’re not wrong for getting **** drunk? Oh, how I love society and their hypocritical/double standards!</p>
<p>The only “double standard” here is that people have the right to do stupid things, at the same time you have the duty to protect people from dying from stupid things by pushing three buttons on a telephone. Honestly if you would let someone die right in front of you, you should almost go to jail for attempted murder right now.</p>
<p>I should have reworded my example: If someone stayed up really late to the point of exhaustion, which is dangerous, and involuntarily passed out from exhaustion on a railroad track - would you pull him off the tracks if a train was coming?</p>
<p>Answer that. Because if you say yes, you realize as a human being you have to at least roll your roommate over or dial 911 to save his life if necessary. If you say no, then you’re gonna have a tough time keeping that view and proving you’re not an evil psychopath.</p>
<p>I’m talking about if you’re in the room with them and refuse to help. If you want to distance yourself from drunk idiots, that’s fine I guess - just so long as you don’t leave them in a dangerous state.</p>
<p>Not Blue - I’m not going to let someone die in front of me. As my roommates get drunk I either leave the room or go to sleep. When I wake up/return and something happened that’s not my problem. Now obviously if they’re KO’d on the floor from drinking I’ll report it (can’t have a body lying on the floor and act like there’s nothing wrong) but other than that I think they can handle it. If they can handle drinking 12+ cans of beer in less than 4 hours than they can handle the effects that come along with it. And to the exhaustion instance; the person 9 times out of 10 stayed up late for a reason (I don’t know anyone who stays up late for the hell of staying up late). With drinking there is no reason to get **** drunk. Like I said, there’s nothing wrong with drinking, but drink with moderation. Don’t you think 12+ cans of beer in less than 4 hours is a but much?</p>
<p>Perhaps sadcollege’s post is due to the frustration of his current situation. If he’s dealing with drunk roommates on a constant basis, he’s probably venting some of his frustration.
I seriously doubt that any well adjusted human being would sit back and ignore someone who is in obvious physical distress.</p>
<p>Is it fair for one roommate to have to spend repeated nights dealing with the aftermath of a drunken roommate? I don’t think so. Unfortunately, some people are randomly assigned a bad roommate match. If the OP is stuck in a situation in which he feels trapped, he’s going to either lash out or shut down (thus, his idea of “cold shoulder”). </p>
<p>Sadcollege: Have you considered putting in a request for a room change? In the meantime, if you see someone who is in obviously physical distress, call for help. You don’t have to like the person or his actions, but you should have some core sense of humanity to try to help someone in need of medical attention–even if it’s simply calling 911.</p>
Then I think that’s pretty fair. If your roommate is constantly getting drunk and you’re getting tired of it, like you said, just go somewhere else / sleep / call an RA.</p>
<p>Calling 911 (or your schools emergency number) is not “playing doctor” in the way that you’re throwing that around. </p>
<p>If you’re annoyed with a drunk roommate, that’s fine. If you’re such a pathetic little person that you can’t take the effort to call 911 if you think your roommate has alcohol poisoning then you are too immature to be living in a double.</p>
<p>Here’s another example- what if your roommate was taking some medication and they didn’t know it could not be mixed with alcohol. After one drink, they’re sicker than sick. If you wouldn’t call 911 in this situation, you’re a terrible person.</p>
<p>I am not going to babysit someone who is not doing anything to endanger themselves. If they started doing something that could hurt them, I would inform the RA. If they showed signs of alcohol poisoning, I would call 911. One can have self-respect while still showing a touch of common decency. If it became a regular problem I suspect the RA would eventually handle it after having to be called repeatedly, and if the process took too long for my liking I would find another room.</p>
<p>I recently had a similar thing happen to me with the drunk roommate, and I understand where you’re coming from, and see the principle of what you’re saying. You’re thinking of it like you simply share a room. You are not there to care for the other person, and I agree with that.</p>
<p>I just think there was a poor choice of words/some angry feelings spilling over into not caring if they’re dead part.</p>
<p>As an adult, I would hope you would call 911 if you saw something that looked that dangerous going on with someone.</p>
<p>However, it is absolutely not your responsibility to run your life around the lives of other people’s. Clearly nobody is running the way they live thier life based on what you would prefer in this situation. Why should you?</p>
<p>People don’t arrive at the stance you have after one night. But, it’s like anything else…eventually, you just don’t have the emotional or physical energy to deal with thier problems and YOUR life at the same time. It’s a perfectly healthy reaction to walk away from that.</p>
<p>Maybe you should talk to them about their drinking when they are sober. </p>
<p>I’d also like to point out that if you ever decided to drink and things don’t go well with the aftermath I’m sure you’d want someone to help you out.</p>
<p>i could not agree with you anymore op. **** what everyone else is saying, the general consensus is overrated anyway. It is in no way your duty to help other people out, especially people who purposely put themselves in harms way by drinking to much.</p>
<p>Johnson181 - I don’t live in a double Mr. Know it all. I have 3 other roommates. And all 3 of them drink intensely. </p>
<p>nysmile - Yes you hit it right on the button. I don’t think some of you here understand what I’m going through or why I’m ****ed. Try having 3 roommates who drink like wild baboons. Try being 1 of 4 roommates who doesn’t drink and is constantly left out because you don’t drink so they “have no reason to talk to you.” Try wanting to go to sleep at 12am midnight but can’t go to sleep until 3:30 am because your roommates invites 10+ people who also drink to your dorm room and make so much noise that the school security has to come to the dorm and tell your room to pipe down. I’m quite sick of it and I’ve only been here around 2-3 weeks. If this is what’s in store for the rest of the year, then I’m not looking forward to it. </p>
<p>And btw, to those who say “transfer rooms” I can’t. Our class is the biggest class in the history of this school. Hence is why they built more quads/quints to accommodate the people.</p>