A SOCIAL DRINKER: If You Do It Alone, THEN You're An Alcoholic! (James)

Once upon a time, I was an extremely happy person, but since arriving at Gettysburg, I think I've become a healthy mix of happy and depressed on given days. Back in high school, my health teacher was alone in thinking that I was manic depressive and recommended I seek help. I've never been diagnosed for depression or prescribed drugs to combat it. However, nearly ALL of my close friends in middle and high school were regularly taking these psychiatric drugs.

By no stretch am I heavy drug user. I drink socially, and smoke, at most, twice a year, and I've never done any "hard" drugs. Typically, I only drink when my friends and I are hanging out... because if you drink alone, then you're an alcoholic. Last semester was the only time when I felt dependent on alcohol to make me feel better; at that time, I was extremely stressed, bitter, and sad, and Smirnoff was there to numb the pain temporarily. It used to be one of the highlights of my week, but now I don't depend on it.

Surprisingly, I've never been in a relationship with a repeat drug user. But I do suspect that one of my exes was depressed because I was constantly finding packets of pills around the room. They might have been Enzyte (the performance enhancer), since that's the only drug he admitted to using.

Typically, when I'm drinking at a party, my current boyfriend would be there as well doing the same, but it's very important to me that I don't MEET people and go home with them when I'm drunk. If I did, then I wouldn't know if I actually like them that much, or if it was just the "beer goggles."