I asked a friend of mine that exact question but really didn't enjoy his answer. He said that being drunk, "allows him to do things that he wouldn't normally do carefree." He continued by saying it "makes him powerful and fearless." I would like to call hardy BS on that. I am a firm believer that under the influence or not, you know what you are doing. I am so sick of hearing the excuse, "but I was drunk," or "I don't remember." I have some knowledge in the area. The point is you were the one that chose to drink or take the drug. You did it. Doesn't it seem funny to you that your friends, who were also messed up, remember everything you did and vice versa, but you can't remember your own actions to save your life? Doesn't that seem a little too ironic to you? Maybe a little too perfect because you have an excuse! Well, not anymore. Most likely, you even have some recollection of it and you just don't want to admit it.

I see it all the time around campus and back home. Guys who have problems with each other just ignore one another on a regular basis. They don't even look at each other during the day. But as soon as one of them is a little messed up, it is then that they scream and attempt to fight. What gives? They can't just continue the ignoring cycle, or better yet, discuss it like grown men. That would be too easy, too responsible. This happens with girls, too. Girls start running their mouths because we think we are invincible, or sadly, cool in this state, and then it backfires in our face because it gets back to the person. Of course it is going to! This is Wake Forest. It is a small school with gossip just like in high school. You cannot escape anyone on this campus whether you want to or not. You and I both know that. So why do we try and trick ourselves into believing otherwise?

My personal favorite is the girl or guy that says that he/she didn't mean to hook up with a certain person. I'm sorry, but hook ups don't just randomly happen. Somewhere, in the back of your mind maybe, there was a motive. The alcohol just made it more real, right? What is real? That you now have a reputation? That you now partake in the walk of shame? That you have an STD? What does it mean to be real? Being real is taking responsibility for your actions whether you are under the influence or not. Being real means admitting that you had a motive for what you did. Being real means living with and learning from your mistakes. Being real means not having to get disgustingly drunk in order to have a good time. Real is not having to look macho or easy in order to meet people. Being real means communicating what you really feel all the time. Being real means you state your opinion and stand up for it.

Are you real?

Jenny Billings is a freshman.