Binge drinking is a dangerous activity
DR. WALLACE: I will begin my University education this coming September at Indiana University. I am really excited about this new adventure because I will have an opportunity to make new friends and I am well aware that a university degree will provide me with the necessary tools to succeed in whatever path I take as a working professional.
I will not include consuming alcohol as a way to “unwind” after taking a stiff examination. I am not considered a “boozer,” but I have heard the phrase “binge drinkers” given to those in a college or university who like their alcohol.
Please enlighten me. What exactly makes someone a binge drinker? — Nameless, Goshen, Ind.
NAMELESS: You are a wise teen to avoid alcohol.
Binge drinking is the consumption of large amounts of alcohol — five or more drinks — on a single occasion. The point is not enjoyment of the alcohol, but to get drunk fast. Binge drinkers rarely drink alone; usually there’s a large group of people involved.
This activity is dangerous not only because of the health risks of heavy drinking, but also because, when drunk, the participants often take foolish and dangerous risks, usually egged on by their fellow drinkers.
Mom needs a coffee pot with an automatic timer
DR. WALLACE: I’m 17 and lead a very hectic, busy life. I attend high school from 8 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., and do my homework until about 5 p.m. every school day. On Mondays and Wednesdays I attend a college class from 6 until 10 p.m. On other days I practice for a musical production, and on the weekends I have a part-time job.
ROBERT WALLACE
As you can see, I have little time for myself. My problem is that my mother makes me get up 15 minutes early every day to make her a pot of coffee. I wouldn’t mind it, but she doesn’t have a job (she is a housewife who spends three hours a day watching soap operas), and has more free time than I do.
When I try to tell mother this, she tells me to shut up and do as I am told. Do you think I have a legitimate complaint? — Nameless, Clinton, Iowa
NAMELESS: I’m with you. I feel mother’s demand is unnecessary and a bit selfish on her part.
See if mom will purchase a coffeepot with an automatic timer that starts the coffee brewing at a selected time. Then you can rig it up before retiring and set the timer to start the coffee for mom. And then you will have pleasant dreams!
All the credit goes to you
DR. WALLACE: I’ve been reading your column regularly and I want to thank you for some advice you recently gave. It also helped me solve my own problem.
Kids at school used to tease me. This would get me mad and I would fight back by calling them names. This would only make them tease me more.
Then I took your advice and walked away, tuned them out and kept my mouth shut. After three days of this behavior, they quit bugging me. In fact, one of the buggers is now my friend. Thanks again. — Nameless, Coos Bay, Ore.
NAMELESS: I’m glad to have played a part in your success story, but the credit all goes to you. Advice is fine, but taking it and making it work is the difficult part!