A fifth of high school students are drunk or high in class.

Nearly one in five students do drugs, drink or smoke cigarettes during the school day, according to a jarring new survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.

While the revelation that 17% of high school students may be half in the bag on any given day may come as a shock to some parents or teachers, it’s old news to the 1,000 students surveyed.

Some 86% told survey-takers that they were well aware their glassy-eyed classmates were stoned or drunk.

(full article)

Well I certainly feel better about my high school experience.

I think I deserve a small cocktail.

Also, here is the point where I add a small anecdote from high school I barely remember but that still makes me chuckle.

So, senior year, the wind ensemble took a trip to Hilton Head to give a concert. For some reason, our school had no money to put us up in a hotel so we were literally staying with strangers for the weekend. A clarinet player and I were shacked up with two old rich white people (because that is the ~~major~~ only demographic in Hilton Head) who had an elevator in their house. They set us up in a bedroom and gave us movies to watch and went to bed.

What do two 16 year olds do left to their own devices away from home? (not that)

We found the liquor cabinet. And took a bit. And replaced it with water. And never got caught.

Oh, but except I also blogged in high school and put the whole story on the Internet. The clarinet player got called in by administration who asked him all kinds of questions, unbeknownst to me. I was told through the grapevine to delete that post and pretend it never happened. When it was my turn in the office? Deny deny deny. ”What are you talking about? We would never steal. And drinking underage?! I’m Class President! I would NEVER! Where is this alleged post? I want to see it.” They were talking about expelling me and not letting me walk for graduation and everything.

And the moral of the story here is…I’m now a grown-ass man and I can put whatever I want to on the internet. So, take that, South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities, with your long ass name and stalkerish administration.