Blowout, (n.): A 24-hour period during which students at the College of William and Mary celebrate the end of classes, traditionally by drinking themselves into oblivion.
This is an academically rigorous school, and understandably, celebratory drinking is enticing because it allows you to forget. While intoxicated, you forget about the stressors of the week (heck, of the semester), about the jam-packed exam schedule, about the uncertainty of future jobs and summer plans.
Yet, like Cinderella’s stint of enchantment at the ball, this amnesia is temporary. The morning after, reality returns, often bringing with it a headache, nausea and an outbox full of texts that you don’t remember sending. Your carriage is once more pumpkin.
The way I see it, we have limited time here to spend with fantastic friends in this one-of-a-kind place. Wouldn’t you rather remember it?
The adage “memories last a lifetime” often does not hold true after a night of heavy drinking. After a blackout, you will most likely not remember the majority of what happened while under the influence. You may say and do things that, upon hearing them recounted to you when sober, make you cringe. Ultimately, in that state, you are not experiencing those moments as yourself.
I propose a challenge: To celebrate the semester’s end, live in the moment as yourself. Make April 27th another day to add to your bank of memories from your incredible four years here. Take the advice of the stickers inspired by altruistic alumnus Robert Wone: “Be Here Now.” People who go to this school have such colorful, energetic, enthusiastic personalities; I promise that you do not need a drop of alcohol to be more fun. Gather friends together, and conduct a personalized midnight tour around campus, remembering fond times spent together at each spot, then picnic on the Sunken Garden. Revisit a restaurant at which you have shared many wonderful meals and toast your achievements. Sit on the dock of Lake Matoka with a dear friend, enjoy the reflection of the moon in the water, and recount old stories, recent happenings and hopes for the future. Do something personally meaningful.
Will any of these things allow you to escape the stress in your life? Maybe not entirely, but they will afford you temporary distraction from a hectic pace, allowing you to relish in a sense of achievement, consciously creating more precious memories. In future times of stress, you can look back on that night and relive another memory of comfort and bliss. Through the gift of memory, the pumpkin can forever be transformed into a carriage. For me, that beats a hangover any day.
As a W&M alum, I am mildly dismayed at the condescending tone of this article. Celebratory drinking sometimes leads to a blackout, but more often than not, leads to a fun night with good friends. I think Andrea needs to lighten the f*ck up and have a beer. I suspect she was one of those people we would see on Fall Saturdays trudging to Swem with a backpack while the football team had a home game. So many people at W&M love to be lame. So depressing.
And I take back all those negative thoughts if you are married to Tony Schiavone. He was the coolest ever.
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People who go to this school have such colorful, energetic, enthusiastic personalities; I promise that you do not need a drop of alcohol to be more fun. ”
It’s sentences like this that really make me wonder if you actually go here.
Perhaps everyone that you know drinks themselves into oblivion because they have to deal with what I can only imagine is your non-stop condescension and charming personality.
Sigh… if you don’t personally like drinking, then feel free to stay sober. But why harangue others who are clearly having a good time? I guess misery loves company, as they say.
Drinking is the basest of the releases. Put in some effort and get some MDMA or something, proles.
I am appalled at the negative comments posted on here in response to Drea’s article. She is one of the most intelligent, considerate, and generous people that I know. She would rather make memories than possibly end up drunk off her ass in a ditch somewhere. She’s not telling anyone what to do, she simply, “propose[s] a challenge” to not participate. Ask yourself, how many people do you know, or have heard of, that have had their lives ruined because of only one night of excessive drinking? So many beautiful lives have been lost based on stupid decisions when drunk and Drea is simply relaying the message.
NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDDDD