1. Do you think that the "girlhood" that the author describes is a typical American one? Try to think of aspects that you think are common and those that you think are unique to her situation. Does she think of her experiences as unique?

2. The author writes that: "Every parent would rather believe that their child abstains." Educated and caring, eager to help their daughter see that liquor can be enjoyed normally rather than abused, her parents are still unable to stop their daughter's destructive behavior. How do her parents react to evidence of her drinking? What strategies do they try to use to address her evident problems? What might you do or what have you done as a parent in their situation?

3. Consider all of the author's positive qualities: her personal charm, her solid home background, and her multiple talents. Why do you think that a girl with so much potential turned to such dangerous behavior? Return to some moments in the book when she tries to explain this. Do you understand or empathize with her choices? Have you or people close to you ever inexplicably chosen a negative path, whether in addiction or other life decisions?

4. The author writes very persuasively about how advertisements encourage young women to equate drinking with freedom, and about how she herself used alcohol to make herself more assertive. In what ways are feminism and partying brought together for the young women in this book? How is this confusion contributing to their continued manipulation by the media? What types of qualities are actually developed, and which are neglected?

5. On other other hand, the author describes how liquor helps her bond with other women, enabling her to overcome shyness and form certain kinds of friendships. But what kind of friendships are these, and what exactly are the young women bonding over? Consider how alcohol affects the author's relationships with other girls and women. What kinds of relationship falter and which flourish?

6. The author writes: "I think being drunk makes men even more predatory and women more manipulative." In other words, both genders are demeaned by binge drinking. In what ways do you see this throughout the memoir? Find specific examples of alcohol bringing out the worse behavior in people. How might the situations have been different if alcohol had not been involved?

7. The author witnesses and is exposed to many varieties of sexual assault throughout her drinking years. Make a list of all the men who threaten her and the circumstances in which it happens. Though sexual assault is certainly not predicated on alcohol use, is there a way in which alcohol does contribute to the situations she describes? Why do you think young women like the author continue to endanger themselves in this way?

8. Alcohol poisoning is also a recurrent theme, starting from when the author is in high school. How many times does she or someone close to her black out, get sick, or have to be rushed to the hospital? What is her reaction to these events? Why is the very real danger of death due to over-imbibing not frightening to these young women?

9. In their tacit acknowledgment that drinking is an inevitable part of the college experience, those in authority fail to support the author's recurring desire to stop. How do you think campus culture encourages drinking? Who is responsible for this? How might this environment be changed?

10. Throughout the years of her drinking, the author mentions very few persons who object to her drinking. Try to list them and their objections. What do they warn her about? Why do they fail? Do their efforts affect her in the long run?

11. The author finds herself trapped in a cycle of abuse in which the only thing that makes her feel better about her situation is to drink more. How often does the author resolve to stop drinking? Think over the times when she actually does, and how long her resolution lasts. What forces -- social, personal, or cultural -- conspire to thwart these efforts? What does enable her to finally stop drinking? Put yourself in her shoes and try to understand how difficult that might be. Could you stop as she did?

12. In cultures around the world, alcohol use is socially sanctioned. For wine and food connoisseurs, and in many other rituals and traditions worldwide, drinking is celebrated for its positive effects. What makes drinking a workable lifestyle choice for some people and not for others? Consider examples of "safe" drinking, and juxtapose those to the type of binging that the author describes. What can we as a society do to encourage responsible drinking?

Created September 2007