Alcohol is an almost unavoidable substance in the present day high school setting. During my junior year of high school, I was left out of almost all of my close friends’ weekend activities because of a problem that I had with their drinking. They were aware of my disapproval of underage alcohol consumption, and my opinion on the matter formed the basis of an ethical dilemma for me.
We became friends during freshman year, when we were all on the high school soccer team. In the two years that would follow, we all became very close, spending weekends with one another and spending weekdays engaged in various club activities. These friendships remained strong under the last few weeks of the summer after our sophomore year. This was when one of my closest friends began to use alcohol. His new girlfriend had insisted on him “living life on the edge,” and he complied. As a result, his lifestyle changed, and instead of spending time with his close friends, he went out partying, drinking, and having sex.
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This type of lifestyle proved attractive to my other close friends, and they left me, as well. They were aware that I disapproved of those things, and still, they attempted to influence my decisions. They wanted me to wreck my body by consuming alcohol at such an early age. In trying to convince me, they assured me that alcohol was fun and “not that big of a deal.” In the end, though, it was me that influenced them that alcohol was, in fact, a big deal. I showed them fact sheets about alcohol to show them that their actions could be harmful. Not only were they doing something illegal, but they were doing something that went against everything I believed in. Though I did everything in my power to help them understand, I was unable to get through. I had to disassociate from them, ending the close friendships that had begun many years earlier.
Although this was not the outcome that I desired, it was in my best interested. Because they chose alcohol over me, they showed where their priorities were. I feel that I handled the situation well, choosing what was right for me in the face of intense pressure. While my friends were off trying something new, I did the same. Instead of continuing with soccer, I joined the cross country team. I found that I enjoyed running, as it allowed me to clear my head and focus on the future. I made new friends who held values closer to my own. I now know to trust my instincts if something like this happens in the future. I do hope that I never put myself in this kind of position again, but if that happens, I trust that I will be able to navigate a difficult ethical issue deftly.
