In an effort to make people aware of the dangers of drinking and driving and alcohol bingeing, Grambling State University’s Living Learning Communities (LLC) hosted a “Mocktail” party on Monday evening. This event was coordinated by Melanie C. Thomas who serves as an English tutor and program assistant with the LLC. She said, “April is designated as Alcohol Awareness Month, so we decided to host a program to make people aware of the dangers of indulging in too much alcohol and drinking and driving. Also, we wanted to show students that they can have fun without drinking alcohol.”
Southern graduate and Louisiana State Trooper, Henry Ford served as the guest speaker. Ford shared a lot of his personal experiences as a student and police officer with the audience. Although Ford grew up around several friends who loved to drink and have fun, he keeps a strong foot against drinking and driving because he has lost several friends.
He talked about two events that changed his high school “Senior Night” when his best friend was killed in a car accident and the death of his military battle buddy. Both of these deaths were alcohol related.
Ford said, “Alcohol can bring pain for you, your loved ones, relatives and others who have trusted you to make good decisions. Know that you are responsible.
One mistake can LLC participant Brittany Segura said that she learned that alcohol abuse and irresponsible drinking can lead to many horrifying things: deaths, injuries and rapes.
“As the officer told his stories about his experiences with alcohol, you can’t help but rethink alcohol abuse. It is better to not drink at all, but if you must, drink responsibly before you hurt yourself or others,” said Segura, a freshman psychology major from Moreno Valley, Calif.