My 32-year drinking history is longer than most of you have been alive...but, then, so are my 28-years of sobriety, thank goodness (and AA).
I know all about campus life and college pubs. I worked at a major New Jersey college for many, many years, and enjoyed going to all the frat parties. After my husband of 25 years left, a counselor I was seeing suggested I do something for me, so I decided to work toward realizing a life-long goal of a college degree. The problem was that I pretty much majored in Student Pub...stopping for a couple before making it to class. Then, of course, I rewarded myself on the way home by having a few (too many) at my local bar...after all, I was a working single mother of three trying to better herself. What a crock!
So, I was going to evening classes with a buzz on, and daytime classes hung-over. Needless to say, I "dropped out" after a couple of semesters before I "flunked out". It took another couple of years before I finally hit bottom and wound up in detox and rehab, followed by daily AA meetings (often doubling up on the weekends, because they were particularly rough for me).
After six years of good, continuous sobriety, I finally got up the courage to go back to taking classes. Working two jobs, still making lots of AA meetings, taking one or two classes a semester, it took six years to earn a two-year degree...but, I also graduated with high honors. The difference was being a recovering alcoholic. Good Grief...sobriety sure does rock!!!