Prom Season and Stupidity: The things kids do

So, I work at a high school, if you couldn’t tell from my last post. With working at a high school, you get drafted to do things like chaperoning dances and such. It is one of the few things that I don’t really care for about my job. I want to keep the public/private dichotomy or split distinct. Things that they do in their private life, I want them to keep it private. I don’t care who they are dating, or if they freakdance, or go to rap concerts. The rest of the time, I really enjoy my job. My students are really smart and they work hard for my class. But, sometimes, kids make stupid mistakes. This is not one of my students, but this is in the area that I work, which means that one of my students knows this person that is remarkable.

ROHNERT PARK, Calif. — A Rohnert Park teen is recovering at home after drinking what medical professionals say could have been a lethal amount of alcohol.

Rohnert Park police say the 15-year-old girl’s blood-alcohol content was 0.578 — seven times the level for drunken driving — when she was hospitalized over the weekend.

A police spokesman says after being taken by ambulance to a hospital Friday night, doctors feared she would not live through the night.

Police say the girl had been at party at a home with a group of friends, with no adults present.

Investigators are still piecing together what happened that night and trying to determine if there was any criminal wrongdoing.

The name of the girl has not been released.

Now, normally, we make fun of people and the things that they do, because people do the craziest things. We like to get a look at people in their natural environment. After all, they brought it on themselves with the decisions that they make… These are technically adults, with the autonomy to do as they please, which is why I can poke fun of the stupid things that they do. You do have to respect the woman who has the wherewithal to hold her hair while puking. I would say in my opinion that she was not totally faded, but she is hammered. In some cases, you have to ask yourself, who took the picture and why aren’t they helping the people in the picture out?

But, in this particular case, word on the street is that she (a 15 YEAD OLD GIRL!!!) drank a 20oz. Gatorade bottle of vodka. That is 20 shots of alcohol cruising through her 15 year old body. The risk of death starts to become a serious issue around .35 and above. Here are some tips that you really should follow if you are drinking to the extreme… I also wonder where or who she got the alcohol from? The things that her parents must be feeling right now border on absolute rage, undeniable fear, and a whole lot of questions and guilt. ( I would be feeling more religious as in, “Thank you LORD for leaving her on the planet and giving me another chance to hopefully do right by her)

The thing that my students need to know is that once you get to college, it is a free-for-all. There will be social gatherings where they will be actively encouraging you to drink as much as possible. Fraternities and Sororities will be enticing you to join and there will be various things that the pledges will have to do. There have been too many cases of freshmen dying or getting really trashed and sick due to peer pressure. Be strong and know your limits. You don’t have to impress anyone out there. Here are some warning signs if your friend finds themselves in a situation that is turning bad…

Signs and symptoms of alcohol poisoning

• Cold, clammy skin
• Rapid pulse
• Failure to respond to verbal stimuli
• Unconscious
• Irregular respirations/breathing
• Cyanosis-bluish color may be observed around lips, nose
• Vomiting while passed out–no return to awareness
• No response to physical stimuli (gentle shaking, stroking palms, light pinch)
  

Yeah, this would normally be an opportunity to make a bunch of different jokes here about the need for DEPENDS (plus as a history teacher, these are the official depends of the United Nations…look at the symbol. Plus, if you have ever done MUN or been to an actual session in NY, then you know that is sometimes boring and this way, you will not miss a single word of the bellicose nature of the North Korean delegation when they are going on about South Korea…)

or something else (I will take the time to talk about the couch, that seems like something out of the 70’s show, that was put in the dumpster) but this is actually a sign that she clearly has had too much to drink. When you cannot control your bladder, you have had way too much to drink and need some help. Responsible drinking is necessary for those who are of age, and not to drink for those who are not legal.

Who wants to wake up and find themselves in this situation? What if she was your sister? We here at Too Old are a fan of females and a fan of drinking. But, we are grown ass mean who are well past the legal drinking age and we also drink mostly responsible. You will not find us in these various states like this, and we would hope that we wouldn’t find you like this either. Like our friend Doug says, “When the best thing that could happen is nothing, and you have everything else being bad, that is not a good look…”

Sorry to get all preachy. We are not really about that at Too Old. We are some guys who take a satirical look at life and the things around us. We write about the things that are going on in our lives. This is one of those things that happens around us, as people are getting ready to go to prom. One of the unintended consequences of this is drunk driving. I don’t want to be your victim, since the drunk usually comes of the situation fine, since they are drunk and loose, they don’t tense up at the moment of impact, like the rest of us would.

Some of us have friends that might fall into this category. If they are truly your friend, then you will look out for some of these telltale signs

Signs of Alcohol Poisoning

Alcohol depresses nerves that control involuntary actions such as breathing, the heartbeat and the gag reflex that prevents choking. A fatal dose of alcohol will eventually stop these functions. After the victim stops drinking, the heart keeps beating, and the alcohol in the stomach continues to enter the bloodstream and circulate through the system. The victim may experience the following:

• Mental confusion, stupor, coma, unable to rouse the person
  
• No response to pinching the skin
  
• Vomiting while sleeping or unresponsive
  
• Seizures
  
• Slowed breathing (fewer than 8 breaths per minute)
  
• Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths)
  
• Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin color, paleness
  

Alcohol Poisoning Requires Immediate Medical Attention

Alcohol Poisoning Cannot Be Reversed By:

• Drinking black coffee
  
• Taking a cold bath or shower
  
• Walking it off
  

The victim must have immediate medical attention.
Call 911, stay with the victim to prevent him choking on vomit, and tell emergency personnel how much alcohol the victim drank.

I would rather get that person in a mess of legal trouble and in trouble with their parents, than to have to live with the guilt that I could have done something. Hopefully, humor can teach us a lesson and avoid a horrible prom/graduation/life.