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Alcohol and Drugs: Aimee Mullins on Substance Abuse
Track & Field, World record holder, first double below-the-knee amputee to compete in NCAA Division I track; Paralympian
I came from a big, close family. We were all involved in lots of activities--sports, music and drama. With 30 cousins, there was always a game to attend, a play to watch or a concert to go to. One cousin got heavily into alcohol and drugs. It consumed the whole family, and it was devastating to see the steps of rehab and therapy necessary to fight the addiction. It was scary. So as a kid, I was pretty good about staying away from alcohol and drugs.
I didn’t have my first drink until I was 18 years old and a freshman in college. I was on a government scholarship--which had random drug testing attached to it--so the fear factor kept me from ever using any drugs. I sure didn’t want to risk losing that scholarship.
I remember my first drink was a beer. I thought, “What could be more disgusting tasting?” It was so bitter. And anything that smelled of alcohol reminded me of all those trips to the hospital as a kid. So I decided to try something very sweet tasting--like sweet wine.
Well, my first experience with drinking sweet wine got me very drunk. Losing control of how well you can walk and talk was not the “liberating” feeling people told me it would be, but instead it was frightening. My head started throbbing, and instead of being in the mood to party, I ached to go home. The next day, I woke to find a big bruise on my arm from falling down. Things were blurry from the night before. When friends reminded me of slurred speech and tripping on the sidewalk, I said, “I did that?” It terrified me. It was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
For a while I did not drink again. Then I went to a fraternity party. One of the most popular girls on campus was trying to get me to participate in this drinking game. It was the first (and last) time I gave into peer pressure. They would take you to each room and make you quickly drink a shot of liquor. Each room had a different theme and different type of drink. The idea was to get completely drunk.
Everything was spinning while I tried to walk home. I threw up all night long. It was horrible. I am sure that I had alcohol poisoning. It took me days to recover. I was so sick. I missed classes. I couldn’t eat. I was so embarrassed.
It was easy not to drink anymore. It was clear that, while going out with friends, I enjoyed myself much more when I felt aware and in control of everything going on around me. One night of supposed “fun” was definitely NOT worth the days of pain and embarrassment afterwards.
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