My husband and I met on my 21st birthday at college through a mutual friend. It’s surprising I remember the night. We hit every bar on campus in a parade sort of fashion. I honestly didn’t drink in high school - ever. I was one of those teens who hung out with the good group. We weren’t nerds, but we obviously weren’t standing on the football field during homecoming either. However, we had a lot of fun as a group. I didn’t smoke or do drugs either. And no sex. Our parents should be thankful. If they only knew what went on in the other social circles they might have locked us in our rooms.

College came and it was difficult figuring out who I was and what I wanted to do with my life. I switched schools after one semester at a small close-to-home college, because it reminded me too much of my rural high school and I was looking for a different experience. It still took a year or so to adjust to life on a Big Ten campus, but I eventually loved it! During the summers at home I began to experience parties and drinking on an occasional basis, but nothing extreme. Still no smoking or drugs. And no sex.

At this point any parent would consider themselves lucky for a job well done. You see all the public service announcements about the importance of speaking to your children. We all know that parents who use drugs have children who use drugs. I was always hoping for an egg demo on a skillet. How many Sunday mornings did we have eggs for breakfast? How many missed opportunities they had? My divorced parents neither one spoke about drugs or alcohol with me. Except the conversation my mother and I had when I was a sophomore in high school about why my parents divorced years before. Turns out my father had some drug problems. When it came down to it he choose drugs over his family. During that talk there was never a mention of whether I knew the consequences of doing drugs. Hell, probably because my mother knew I had first-hand experience with the consequences.

Turning 21 was an unforgettable experience for me. I was tired of having the “holier than thou” image of always doing the right thing. I had no interest in drugs, but for me drinking seemed like a harmless way to have fun with friends and now it would be legal. The life changing event I found wasn’t in the form of a glass with an umbrella, but rather in love.

I’m not a sappy or foo-foo person. I’m not mushy either. That’s probably why I knew the first time I saw him that he was the one. Maybe because those who puke together, stay together! We spent quite a few months in a drunken state from Thursday evening - Sunday afternoon when we sobered up. (By the way the sex came later.) They were the typical college memories that most people experience. I’m thankful I took a chance and risked my “good girl” image to have some fun. It turned out to be a good choice for me in a lot of ways. I can count two examples in my house alone.