So when Bri came upstairs and told everybody under 21 to bolt, I took two of the girls out the back, down a few streets and out to the beach. We saw their car drive off and I told them I'd give them a ride back if they needed. Then Aaron called and told us to come on back to the house because the cops and the guys starting stuff were gone. The girls' car was there and they had to go back with whom they came, even though I said they could stay and I'd take them home when I left. Crash, burn, etc. Then Andy pulled me aside and asked me why exactly I don't drink. The thought had never really crossed my mind untill then, and it bothered me the whole time as I drove an enibriated John home. He was going to stay at the beach house that night (having driven himself there and knowing he would get drunk), but he felt more comfortable going back home after what had happened with the guys and the cops.
My point is this: I don't have a reason for not drinking. It's not a moral problem because I have no moral code, and it's not a taste problem because I've never tasted much. I just don't need to drink. The better question is why do I go to keggers if I don't drink. For one, it's funny to watch drunk people, and it's a good time, but mostly I have a strong sense of civic duty and obligation. One of my friends here said he preferred to stay away from that whole scene and not be involved with drinking at all. A noble endeavor indeed, but I know that there needs to be sober people at these parties - to be drivers, to deal with cops, and basically to keep the whole thing under control and keep everybody safe. In some places, being at a party and not drinking is considered "encouraging and enabling," and a criminal offense just shy of actually partaking. We might be facilitating drunkenness by not stopping them, but we're giving them a safe and controlled environment in which to do it. Instead of pretending the drinking situation does not exist, I'd rather be there, be sober, and help make sure nobody's fucking stupid.
I'm not sober for me; I'm sober for everybody else.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
