Maureen just wanted to fit in and have fun.
But for Maureen, a recent University of Memphis graduate, occasional social drinking soon turned into an everyday routine of drinking and denial.
"It sounds so cliche, but all of my friends were doing it," said Maureen. "It seemed like a good time and a good way to fit in."
Although Maureen's drinking was initially disguised as an icebreaker, she soon began drinking every night whether she was in a crowded bar or alone with a bottle of wine. Maureen said that going out to bars and clubs was beginning to lose its charm, but the thrill of drinking had only increased over time.
"I think about drinking when I'm at work, and every night when I get home, the first thing I do is have a drink," Maureen said.
Typically, one drink will turn into several for Maureen, and in the process she has lost jobs and a boyfriend.
"My boyfriend asked me to get help, and when I told him I didn't have a problem, he left me," she said.
Since then, she spends several hundred dollars a week on alcohol. The more money she spends on her addiction, the more friends she loses and the more isolated she becomes.
"It was so much fun when I was younger," Maureen said. "Now all of my friends are getting married and having children, and I can't have the kind of life they do because I have to drink."
Maureen's story is similar to the millions of people dealing with alcoholism across the country and around the globe. Narrowing it down to campus, however, one fraternity member is determined to rid people of the stereotype that alcoholism and binge drinking are vital ingredients to having a good time.
"The support of your brothers is what a fraternity is all about," said David Hill, a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon at The U of M.
"We do not believe that we should depend on alcohol or any other substance to perform well at social events or recruiting," Hill said.
Granted, there will often be drinking at some social events, Hill said, because that is a factor of fraternity life. However, there is much more involved in fraternity life then mastering a keg stand. There are some people who Hill has encountered during his college years that could be classified as alcoholics, but he said that the brotherly support within a Greek organization could help steer them away from addiction.
"If a problem is noticed in any part of a brother's life, it affects every brother, not just the one with the problem," Hill said. "It is important to us that we help each other out one on one."
The decision to be responsible and protective of friends when consuming alcohol is often prevalent among people in their late twenties, according to Allison, a bartender in Nashville.
After working at a bar for several years, Allison said that she noticed people in their late twenties and older are more likely to have a designated driver, and are more likely to cut themselves off after a few drinks.
As far as younger customers are concerned, Allison said it is more likely for a 21-year-old to drink until they blackout than it is for an older person. One of the main reasons this happens, according to the bartender, is that drinking is portrayed among younger drinkers as the ultimate escape from everyday life.
"About 80 percent of people in their early twenties primarily go to a bar to be a part of the crowd," Allison said.
This sounds similar to the way Maureen became introduced to drinking, and Allison said that this desire to become uninhibited and irresponsible often causes someone to cross the line from casual drinker to alcoholic.
"A friend of mine was a binge drinker for three years," Allison said. "He did enough damage to his body in that time to make him never want to have another drink."
Allison' friend is only one of the millions to learn the hard way that alcohol is not a scapegoat from the daily grind.
There are over one million Americans in Alcoholics Anonymous, and over 50,000 different groups within the organization scattered throughout the country, according to Alcoholics Anonymous.
The main goal of AA is to allow people to determine for themselves if they are facing a problem with alcohol abuse, and if so, that they receive help for their addiction. Members of AA said that the only necessary requirement is the desire to stop drinking.
"A line is definitely crossed when you realize you can't stop drinking," said William, a sponsor at AA in Memphis.
He began drinking in his adolescence and would often go on binges lasting from Thursday night to Sunday afternoon. After suffering so many consequences, William said, he was finally willing to surrender and admit that alcohol had taken hold of his life. Now he is determined to guide others along to a healthier path. William realizes that this will be challenging, considering the appeal of alcohol among America's youth.
"Who wants to stop something that's supposed to be so fun?" William said.
Although some people are reluctant to admit that they have a problem and are hesitant to receive help, William said that there is no reason to feel ashamed. If someone is wary about attending an AA meeting, William said, they are more a welcome to sit in the back and listen to what the organization is all about.
For more information on local meetings, call the AA hotline in Memphis at 454-1414. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, and there are sponsors waiting to listen and give their support. To learn more about alcoholism, and the goal of AA, log on to www.aa.org.
"After you've been to AA, you are assigned to a sponsor, and you all share your experiences with one another," William said. "Then a miracle happens, and you realize you can make it without drinking."
