hi. i'm struggling with drunkenness.

According to Urban Dictionary, this is the definition of college: A magical place where it is rumored that learning takes place, although to those who enter it is often described differently afterward, as a beautiful land in which beer flows in amber currents next to a golden pasture, but more precisely, a Shangri-La rite of passage into adulthood which involves rampant consumption of alcoholic beverages, and a general and fundamental disregard for any form of responsibility by its inhabitants.

College can be so much more than parties and alcohol. It really can, I promise. But for a while there, I fell into the temptation of alcohol and drunkenness. Now understand, I am not saying that all alcohol is bad. In no way am I saying that, but rather I am saying that drunkenness is wrong. This was something that I learned quickly. I get the draw of being drunk, I do! While drunk, I wasn’t concerned with making my life appear perfect. I wasn’t concerned about whether my dance moves were “good” (which I can promise you that they weren’t - haha!). I wasn’t concerned about filtering my thoughts so that I only said kind things, I shared what was on my mind as soon as it popped into my head. I didn’t feel the need to control every aspect of my life. Being drunk provided me with an escape from so many responsibilities in my life - or so I thought. But because of this altered state of mind, I made choices that sober Paige would not approve of. In Ephesians 5:18 it states, “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that leads to reckless living.” Wow-oh-wow could I relate to that. During one of these times, I shared some thoughts with a close friend that I did not intend to share, thoughts that drastically changed our friendship. Why would I invite drunkenness into my life when its company is damage? Sure, at the time it’s fun! But what about after that wears off and I have to deal with the consequences of my actions? Not quite as much fun.

Why would I invite drunkenness into my life when its company is damage?

A dear friend of mine was going through a similar wake-up call at the time. So the two of us got together to discuss our lives. Knowing that this struggle was not something that we could overcome alone, we sought out God. After opening our bibles, we were continuously reading verses such as Romans 13:13, “because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, [...].” This being one of the many different passages that we read. Talk about conviction!! It seemed that every verse we read told us to avoid being drunk. So at that moment, we each made personal commitments as to how we would approach alcohol in the future. I want to live in such a way that honors the name of God, and if I am living “recklessly,” I am not doing that. So I personally decided that I would no longer be drinking excessively, no more drunkenness.