Read 'N' Seed 3: Second Quarter of "Smashed: The Story of Drunken Girlhood"

For the second quarter of this book I read the following two chapters that are contained in pages 109-156. In reading this book I have come to to discover that I identify with Zailckas. When she writes "Amstel Light is my upper and my downer, it is my euphoric bump, my sweet nod into vagueness, the hallucinogenic that contorts my world into one that's worth living in." The almost endearing way she refers to beer is so familiar to me (and I fear so many other girls) that it is quite alarming.

Some main points that are covered in this chapter are:

• Greek Life in college
• Relationships
• Coping with stress by using alcohol 

Before reading this book I had my own views on Greek life, and they haven't changed much after reading this section. Zailckas writes about being initiated into her sorority and the many hazings she had to undergo. Zailckas' generation was in the midst of ending the hazing phase. Colleges were starting to crack down and using alcohol was absolutely forbidden to use as enticement to join that sorority. However, these rules were broken, like so many others, and Zailckas made her decision based on the promise of wild parties. She writes that she found a common bond that all the girls in that house shared: the love of liquor.

Like so many timid freshman Zailckas was intimidated and exhilarated by the thought of dating but without liquor she felt powerless. She writes that her drinking becomes like a "fetish", and when her focus was not on a man, she was fully devoted to drinking. In the preface to the book Zailckas states that she felt as though she woke up one day and realized that she did not have any longstanding friendships and that this was due to her alcohol abuse. Zailckas became so used to functioning while drunk to cope with the stress of dating and making true friends that being sober while doing these activities seemed utterly impossible to her.

Like I mentioned before I can identify with the author of this book and I know that there are many other females like her who have used alcohol as a crutch and it can become a huge issue when we have a major part of society that has difficulty making and maintaining relationships. Look at the divorce rate in our country! The issue of alcohol abuse has huge and damaging implications for our country.