I wrote this last week for the brothers of Phi Delta Theta in light of National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week.  I thought I would share it with everyone – it doesn’t matter if you’re male, female, Greek, non-Greek, high school, college, young, or old.  Many of us are concerned about a friend…

“Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life”

Brothers of Phi Delta Theta, have you ever talked to a friend in an attempt to save him from his own self-destructive drinking habits?  Have you ever wanted to say something but didn’t?

Confronting a friend isn’t easy.  Unfortunately, I know the consequences of silence.  My brother Joey died at his Ohio State fraternity after a night of heavy drinking with brothers.  No one thought he had a “problem” at the time.  But looking back, there were many warning signs.  I wish I had seen them, but instead, I was engulfed in a party culture many of us Greeks know so well.  Things were blurry.

We have all laughed at a drunken person at one time or another.  But, when do you stop laughing and start acting?  Do you have a brother who wets the bed?  Or misses class constantly?  Or has an alter ego?  Maybe he’s violent, makes bad sexual decisions, or frequently blacks out?  The list goes on and on, just google “problem drinking signs.”  But here’s the deal.  Many of us know in our hearts when something isn’t right.  But instead of stepping up to the plate, we sit back and let it ride out.  “He will grow out of it.”   “He’s doing better now.”

Make a decision today to say something. Take your brother to lunch or find a time when it’s just the two of you.  Tell him you are concerned and don’t want to lose him.  List specific things he does when he drinks because chances are, he doesn’t remember.  Your brother cares what you think, and you have the ability to help him see things clearly.  I know this because someone said something to me and helped me turn things around.  He might have just saved my life.

“Step one you say we need to talk…”

Lyrics from The Fray “How to Save a Life”
Click here to view the original post on Phi Delta Theta’s blog site.

We are coming to the end of National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week.  It’s been a busy week of traveling and speaking and I am a tired girl!  One of the schools I visited this week was University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  They adopted the beer magnet with 911 tips – the one listed in resources – and tailored it to their school.  They used orange and blue, added the Illinois logo, and included their own campus security phone number.  These magnets can be placed on dorm refrigerators, inside fraternities and sororities, or just about anywhere.  Check it out and let me know if you’d like to adopt one for your school!

Six months ago, I bought a gold bracelet with an engraved “J” and I haven’t taken it off since.  Over the years, I have searched for just the right way to remember my brother Joey on a daily basis.  I contemplated various tattoos (couldn’t do it), I made a painting (once above my bed, now in the garage), but this bracelet quickly found its way to my heart and I love it.  I bought it at my friend’s store in Columbus, OH – Rowe Boutique – and my awesome friend Maren is offering a 15% discount to Keep Friendship Alive fans.  Visit roweboutique.com, click on initial bracelets / necklaces, and enter “kfa” at checkout for the discount.  Many of us have lost someone, and this is a great way to honor and remember that special person each and every day.