Sometimes, I just need a drink. I am a full-time senior in college, work two jobs and have a mortgage payment.
While this may seem like not much for some, it is a busier and more stressful lifestyle than I have been used to. One of my jobs is being a server at a fine dining restaurant in downtown Louisville. I work there three nights a week, and I always work on Saturday nights.
During my seven-to-eight-hour shift on weekends, I get to wait on my fair share of women with way too much plastic surgery and men with overly-inflated egos.
When I am finished with my shift, I’m ready for a glass of wine or two.
I try to accomplish this goal in a responsible fashion. However, I can’t speak for all young people out there.
This past weekend, four of my co-workers and friends were involved in a T-bone car accident after work on Shelbyville Road in St. Matthews.
The driver that hit them could not even stand straight when taking a field sobriety test.
My friends, luckily, walked away alive, but some of them are still suffering from physical damages.
I have been fortunate enough to never lose someone to a drunk driver, but the thought of one of my friends getting even remotely hurt by one makes me livid.
We are all college students, and we have all heard this message before. I know I hear about how you should not be drinking and driving over and over again.
The fact is that the issue is not going away. It probably never will.
According to learn-about-alcoholism.com, Americans drink the heaviest in their teens to mid-twenties.
Alcohol use declines after that.
Nevertheless, we are in our prime when it comes to being lushes.
Now, I’m not going to lie.
I know there have been times in my past when I got behind the wheel, and I know I should not have.
Just thinking about that gives me chills after realizing the “what if?” Not only would my life be over, someone else’s would, and it would all be on me.
I’ve found Citiscoot to be a good friend in late-night times of uncertainty, and, even though we all don’t live in the most condensed of urban areas, getting a cab is easier than you think.
The four of my friends will more than likely sue the driver for damages and injuries — as they should.
The driver of the car is going to face a tremendous case against him, and it is something that will likely change the rest of his life.
He was lucky my friends weren’t going any faster than they were, or that he wasn’t going any faster.
My friends were lucky to all be OK.
They were lucky the police were there almost immediately — as the driver did attempt to flee the scene.
We all know this is a problem that could kill you.
If you’re lucky, it will just mentally and physically scar you for the rest of your life.
You decide which one sounds better. We have the right to party and have fun, and we also have the obligation to use our brains.
It’s not hard to do both simultaneously.
By KEVIN SCHMIDT
Newscast Editor
kcschmid@umail.iu.edu