68_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TwVa4utpII_reducing alcohol consumption
gpt
Hi, Andrea, thanks for coming in.
human
Hi. Thank you.
gpt
So I don't know how much you know already about sort of my role here and why you're even here. So I thought I'd start by telling you a little bit about myself.
human
Okay.
gpt
Basically, my job is to meet with all of the students. I meet with everybody about once or twice a semester and just talk with you a little bit about how things are going, different behaviors that you might be engaging in, and thinking about any changes you might wanna make for your life if you decide that you do. It's not my job to change you. I couldn't even if I wanted to. That's not my role at all. It's really to help you think about, you know, how things are going for you and how you might like making changes or moving forward.
human
Okay.
gpt
Does that sound okay?
human
Yeah.
gpt
All right. So why don't we start by you telling me a little bit about yourself?
human
Sure. Um, as you know, I'm Andrea, I, uh, I'm a junior I'm in the marching band. I play the tenor sax.
gpt
Oh, neat.
human
Yeah, I'm also in the-- I'm a bit of a band geek. [laughter] I play, you know, in the wind ensemble and the jazz band, things like that.
gpt
Wow. You really are involved in music.
human
Yeah, [crosstalk].
gpt
When did you start?
human
Oh, I started playing about 10 years ago, actually.
gpt
Wow.
human
Yeah, I started on the violin first, and then I went on, explored a little with the piano, clarinet, finally found the tenor sax, and yeah.
gpt
Very cool. I've always wanted to be good at music. [laughter] All right. So it sounds like you're in band and a-a few other musical ensembles, any other hobbies you have or things you like to do for fun?
human
Um, you know, just hanging out with my friends or go to the beach, things like that.
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
Yeah.
gpt
Just kind of everyday sort of stuff?
human
Yeah [laughs].
gpt
Okay. Tell me a little bit about your family.
human
Uh, well I have one older brother he's about eight and a half old- years older than me. My parents, and I have a dog [laughs].
gpt
Cute. What kind of dog?
human
He's a Golden Retriever.
gpt
Oh, nice. Okay.
human
My big boy.
gpt
[laughs] Very fun. All right. And how are things going in school for you?
human
They're pretty good. Grades have been pretty all right. Still like 3.7 ish.
gpt
Okay, great, so you're doing well. What sorts of goals do you have for after college- oh, after high school?
human
Uh, I'd like to, you know, I'd like to, of course, graduate high school, hopefully, go to a nice Ivy League school.
gpt
Oh, all right.
human
But I mean, that might not happen. And then I'd like to go on and become a doctor. Study psychology and then become a psychiatrist or something.
gpt
Okay, you have some pretty big dreams.
human
Yeah.
gpt
That's great. That's really exciting to think about that-
human
Yeah.
gpt
-and sort of be looking forward to the future and those things. All right. Well, one thing I'm going to ask you about is, um, you know, different people have sort of different things that they really value in their life. Whether it's, you know, their cultural identity or their family or their friends or job or hobbies, things like that. So here's the little sheet that goes through just some basic values that, um, might be more or less important to certain people.
human
Mm-hmm.
gpt
Like belonging or sense of community. Again, cultural identity or family, friendship, modesty, religion, respect, self-determination and spirituality. So, when you think about yourself, which of these are kind of most important to you in terms of your life?
human
Um, I think a sense of community and belonging.
gpt
Okay.
human
I think those two and, um, respect.
gpt
Respect, okay. Can you tell me a little bit about why you picked those three?
human
Yeah. Well, I think community and belonging, I kind of related them. Um, you know how I said I was in the marching band?
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
I really, you know, I really enjoy being in that team setting of, you know, being with other people and all working toward- together towards that one goal.
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
And then in terms of respect, I-I kind of view that as one of like my major like rules. Like, I-I really do think respect is important, to respect myself and respect those around me, so.
gpt
Okay.
human
I place great importance in that.
gpt
Okay, great. So sort of being a part of a group and being a part of a team gives you a sense of, um, uh, belonging, like you said.
human
Mm-hmm.
gpt
And sort of a-a sense of purpose in a way.
human
Yes, purpose.
gpt
And then the respect is really sort of all-encompassing.
human
Yes.
gpt
Not just authority, but respecting yourself, respecting your teammates or your bandmates and other people around you. Okay, that's great.
human
Definitely, that's right.
gpt
All right. Well, um, one of the things I wanted to talk to you about sort of relates to belonging and your friends. So what kinds of things do you like to do when you get together with your friends?
human
Um, sometimes we just, you know, go to the movies, go to the beach, like I had said, or sometimes we just get together at someone's house, play some good board games and hang out.
gpt
Mm-hmm, and when you're hanging out with friends, is there ever alcohol involved?
human
Yeah, sometimes.
gpt
Okay. Can you tell me a little bit about how alcohol fits into sort of your social scene?
human
Uh, well it's mostly just for, for parties or party settings is kind of to get things going and get everything loosened up as they say.
gpt
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. And so when you go to parties, most of the time there's alcohol there?
human
Yeah.
gpt
Okay. And how often do you think you would say you're drinking?
human
I'd say, um, on a not busy month, for instance, I'd say about like two weekends out of the month. Two or three.
gpt
Mm-hmm. So about half the time you're drinking and half the time you're not. Can you tell me what's different about the days when you choose to drink versus not to drink?
human
The days that we drink are mostly, like I said, they're parties, so it's more of that whole partying and dancing and, you know, having everyone have fun. And then when we don't, it's a lot more relaxed. It's a lot more hanging out, playing board games, watching a movie it's not yeah.
gpt
So it really depends on what the activity is, whether or not alcohol is gonna be there?
human
Definitely.
gpt
Okay. And do you notice a big difference or can you tell me about the difference in your enjoyment level at say a party versus a night you're playing board games?
human
Um, I think of them as-as different, I think, you know, like in playing board games and things, it's meant to be relaxing.
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
So it's nice to have like that kind of breather-
gpt
Uh-huh.
human
-versus with a party it's a lot more energetic it's, uh, after it all, it's very draining.
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
But in the moment it's quite fun to dance and have fun.
gpt
Okay. So there's sort of pros and cons on both sides?
human
Yeah.
gpt
Okay. What are the things that you like about drinking or like about alcohol?
human
Um, it's, you know, when we drink, we-we tend to have more fun because I guess we're not, you know, everyone's drinking together. We're a lot more loosened up and relaxed-
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
-and not really thinking about stresses or things like that, but it can be--When it's too much drinking, it can be- can be obviously bad.
gpt
Okay. So sort of in the-the too much drinking or-or at times, can you tell me some of the less good things or not so good things about alcohol?
human
Um, a lot of times, it'll make- it'll make people stupid. [laughs] Yeah, you know, people make dumb decisions and things like that. We-we usually try to be as safe about it
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
-as possible. So we'll like sleep over at a friend's house. And so that, you know, we're not driving and it's mostly within our friend group. So we're not worried about strangers putting weird things in our drinks.
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
But, um, definitely some of the ideas people can have when they're stup- when they're drunk and can be really stupid.
gpt
Mm-hmm. So you're trying to, like you said, not engage in really dangerous activities?
human
Yeah
gpt
You're trying to stay put, you're not driving. You're trying to stay with people that you trust. Um, but yet it sounds like there's still some-some things happening from time to time.
human
Sometimes. Yeah.
gpt
Can you tell me a little bit about that?
human
Well, I, especially don't like it whenever me or one of my friends, like we drink too much and we end up like throwing up or things like that, that I don't- that's not fun.
gpt
Yeah. Throwing up is never fun.
human
It's not.
gpt
And how often do you think that happens?
human
For me, that's happened to me once. It was the first time I ever drunk and it was- it was a lot, I didn't know what I was doing. I was mixing all kinds of weird things and just kind of taking anything everyone- anyone gave me
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
-and that didn't end well.
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
But after that, I haven't- but I do have friends that still do sometimes, so I'll end up like having to take care of them or something and-
gpt
Okay.
human
It kind of puts a downer on my- on my fun.
gpt
Uh-huh. Okay. So, on the one side, some of the fun things associated with alcohol are people are just more relaxed, sorta, um, carefree can kind of let loose a little bit more, on-on the other hand, there's a little bit more, I guess, planning involved-
human
Yeah.
gpt
-because you have to make sure that you're doing it safely or as safe as you can. And then, um, there can be some other consequences like throwing up or even if it's not you, that sometimes you're stuck your-your fun is sort of ruined when you're stuck dealing with a friend who drunk too much. Okay. And the other not so good things about the alcohol?
human
Yeah. People can get a little like sloppy, I guess. Like they're all loose, like with people in corners doing things that should be done in private-
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
-and that kind of stuff.
gpt
So you're kind of stuck being exposed to things you don't need to see.
human
Yeah.
gpt
Got it. Okay. Um, all right. Well, you mentioned a couple of times that you've made a few decisions to try and limit the dangerous aspect of the drinking. Why did you make those decisions?
human
I just- I've, you know, I have an aunt who is an alcoholic. So I-I see like the issues that are involved and I've seen movies and things I know that drunk driving is an issue-
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
So, I, you know, I wanna be as safe as possible in those terms and be in a setting where like we can let loose but still be safe like in someone's house or sort of my parents will tell me something. But-- So, I- like I know that there are dangers involved and I guess I wanna limit that.
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
And so be where I have fun.
gpt
Okay. Yeah, it sounds kinda similar to your, um, your value of respect to yourself.
human
Yeah.
gpt
On the one hand, you- the drinking maybe helps with the belonging community to start.
human
Mm-hmm.
gpt
If there's too much, then it sort of—
human
Then it kind of defeats the purpose? [laughs]
gpt
Right. And then with the respect, one of the things you mentioned, is really wanting to respect yourself and not sort of cross boundaries, not sort of cross lines.
human
Yeah.
gpt
Um, how do you think that the drinking fits in with that?
human
In terms of what? In terms of respect?
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
I think, well in a way, I do think that drinking is probably a form of disrespect to my own body because I'm not putting things- I'm putting things in it that shouldn't be there.
gpt
Okay.
human
And then-- But in terms of at- how it is I am respecting myself, I am- I'm respecting myself by like trying to stay in someone's house and like trying to limit my drinking so I don't get to that blackout like throwing up and everything.
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
And try to, you know, let loose but still be in control of my behavior so I'm not gonna go somewhere with a person I met-
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
-into I don't know where to, I don't know what, and-
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
-things like that.
gpt
Okay. So you're sort of looking for that balance-
human
Yeah.
gpt
-of how much you can drink to have some of the positive benefits but not cross over.
gpt
Okay. And what have you come up with at this point? Do you have sort of a-a limit that you stick to or are you--?
human
I usually-- Well, I start off like I make sure that I make my own drink so I know what's in it and how much is in it. So in that way I control how much I drink. So, I usually just, you know, get one of those cups and then make one drink. And then I'll try to make it last as long as possible. And I'll be like, "All right, this is my one drink" and I'm good in that way. I still have something in my cup so people aren't gonna be like, "Oh, here. Have some more." I'd be like, "No, I'm good. I have mine," and I'll still be, you know, having some to like let loose a little.
gpt
Mm-hmm. Okay. And do you feel that that's working pretty well for you or do you sometimes exceed that limit or-or what do you think?
human
For the most part, it works pretty well because, like I said, people, you know, people come asking me, trying to pressure me, I'll be like, "No, I'm good. I have- You know, I still have something. I'll get some later." And I never end up getting anything. Oh, but sometimes they'll be like, "Hey, let's take a shot," and everyone's gathered around like the kitchen or something ready to take a shot. And then at that point, I'll be like, "Oh, well, maybe I can take one more." And that's when I start, you know, falling into-
gpt
Okay.
human
-way too much.
gpt
So, uh, uh, a portion of the time it's working well for you and another portion of the time maybe you would like-
human
Yeah.
gpt
-would like to make some adjustments-
human
Mm-hmm.
gpt
-to-to make it a little smoother. Okay. So, kind of thinking along those lines, how important is it to you make some changes or make some adjustments to your drinking to sort of fit with your values and your goals for yourself?
human
Um, I'd like to make sure that I'd, you know, in terms of respecting myself and my body, I'd like to, you know, try to drink less.
gpt
Okay.
human
Like I-I-- You know, it is nice to let loose and have fun, but I'd also like it to be so, you know, I'm not damaging my body, you know.
gpt
Right.
human
Like my liver doesn't work by the time I'm like 22.
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
And, um, you know, have my friends on board with a similar mentality so we can kind of work at it together as a group, as a- as a community.
gpt
Uh-huh. So kind of combining you alls-
human
Yeah.
gpt
-goals. Okay. So, you-you have a goal it sounds like, of actually cutting back on your drinking. How important is it to you to work on that goal and on a scale of one to ten, where one is not at all important and ten is it's the most important thing right now?
human
I'd say about like-like a six or a seven.
gpt
Oh, okay.
human
I'd like to work on it but, you know, if I get around to it, I get around to it. If I don't, I don't.
gpt
Uh-huh. Why do you say six or seven rather than like a four?
human
Um, because I still think it's-it's important.
gpt
Uh-huh.
human
I still, you know. Like I said, I don't want to hurt my body. Especially going to med school like I know how things affect your body and also affect your-your social and your school work and things like. I know that once I get to college, it's not- it's not gonna-gonna work out being, you know, drinking every weekend and then like trying to wake up early and go to school, take an exam. Like I know that's not- that's not feasible. It's not a good idea.
gpt
Yeah, looking ahead, you can't keep drinking this way and reach the goals that you have for yourself.
human
Yeah.
gpt
Okay. Well, how confident are you that you could cut down if you wanted to-
human
I think I-
gpt
-on that same scale from one to ten?
human
I think if I made the decision that I was going to, for sure, then I think definitely like a 10 I know it'd be going through.
gpt
Oh, wow. Okay. Why do you say 10?
human
It's just because I know that once I make the decision, I know I can do it. It's making the decision in the first place.
gpt
Okay. And so you mentioned the- you know, quite a few reasons why you would like to cut down. Um, have you thought at all about how you might go about doing that?
human
Um, I'm thinking of maybe like trying to convince my friends without sounding, you know, dorky or something and be like, hey, you know, let's just stay in today. Like, let's not go out or something. Or just be like, hey, I'm not like-- I'm not going to drink today. And then even if my friends do, like being okay with them, drinking around me and not doing it, and then them being okay with me drinking-- Me not drinking and them doing whatever they want.
gpt
So sort of, um, trying to plan more activities that don't involve alcohol-
human
Yeah.
gpt
-and then also trying to participate in activities without drinking yourself or maybe even drinking less than you're drinking.
human
Yeah.
gpt
Okay. Does that sound like a goal you want to work on now or?
human
I think so. I think it's-it's very feasible. I think it's possible.
gpt
Okay. Um, so I guess we'll talk about, um, less alcohol activities. I'm just making some notes to myself and then maybe, um, reducing the amount of drinking that you're doing if alcohol is involved. Okay. Um, so that-that goal sounds feasible, you said? Would it be okay if we met in a couple of weeks to sort of see how it's going?
human
I think so. I think that's good.
gpt
Does that sound like something you'd like to do?
human
Yeah.
gpt
Okay. Well, I really appreciate you spending the time talking to me, you know, it sounds like you have a lot of really good goals for yourself, really ambitious goals of going to medical school and, you know, becoming a psychiatrist or, um, some-some other form of physician. Um, you're really looking forward to doing well in school so you can get there.
gpt
And it sounds like you have a pretty active social life and a-a lot of friends who you feel probably would be, uh, supportive, even if you cut down on alcohol and that, you know, there's a lot of benefits you see both to your body and your health, um, your school performance, and even some of the social stuff in terms of feeling a sense of belonging without having to deal with some of the gross consequences of-of, um, drinking too much.
gpt
Um, so yeah, you know, it really sounds to me like you have a good plan in place and as long as you're willing and-and interested in meeting again, I'd be very excited to be able to talk with you about how it's going.
human
Yeah, I'd like to.
gpt
All right. Great. So I'll-I'll plan to see you then in a few more weeks.
human
Perfect. Nice.
gpt
Great.