Sep 5, 2013 | By Tim Stoddart

Controversial Article about Drunk College Girl Samantha Lynne Goudie

Addiction & Recovery News

I have been a contributing writer for Sober Nation for a little over a month, and I must admit it has been an inspiration to me as well as a boon time for my recovery. When I started contributing material to the website my aims were pretty simple; I wanted to contribute material that not only could feed the head but fuel the heart and spur the soul forward. Sometimes what has flowed from my brain onto the keyboard has stirred up some controversy, and while that was never my intention I don’t believe in pulling punches or drizzling my thoughts in a tangy sugar coating.

They say you write from what you know. Framing that statement to my own personal experience I write as I live, which is straight from the hip. I absolutely believe in promoting positivity and hope in recovery…that is a no-brainer. However, I also believe in bringing out in the open the struggles that are associated with recovery. I am of the belief that one needs to acknowledge the unpleasant and dark in order to appreciate and be enveloped in what is good and righteous. Recently I have come across a story that has been getting quite a bit of gloss on Twitter and other social media sites and I feel compelled to share with you.

The story unfolds as follows….

Samantha Lynne Goudie, a 22 year old college student at the University of Iowa, was arrested as she was attempting to run onto the field before the Iowa/Northern Illinois football game. She was arrested for public intoxication and a subsequent breathlyzer test which registered a preliminary result of .341. Despite the arrest and charges of public intoxication, Goudie took to Twitter after being released bragging about the arrest and the level of intoxication. In one of her tweets, she talked of getting a tattoo of .341 because it was so “epic”.

As the story spread it caused the inevitable backlash of negative attention. Goudie, whose twitter page has about 20,000 followers before being deleted, replied to the negative attention by stating the following:

“Uh I get good grades sorry for being like every other college student”

As I followed this story and read accounts from other websites my emotions were like a pinball being hurtled between outrage, pity, fear and empathy. Initially, my mind was tinted with the harsh tones of outrage and anger—there weren’t just the tweets; some of these sites were also publishing pictures of her posing with vodka bottles or in various stages of party mode. It was obvious this young lady was rather indignant on how her persona was being viewed on the grand stages of the internet.

While these visceral emotions were definitely dominating the canvas of my thoughts, I flashed back to those salad days of college when I was in my early 20’s, headstrong and bent on doing things that my parents warned me about, but didn’t care of the outcomes or consequences. While it was half a lifetime ago, I remember certain parts of my college days very well. Towards the end of my college career, I became an accomplished drinker and hell raiser and all was good because like Ms. Goudie I was getting good grades and was doing all that was required to move forward into true adulthood.

In the eyes of the institution of higher learning and the world in general, I was being the model student and citizen because I was going through the motions. After hours, however, I became a different beast all together. I didn’t have my parents breathing down my neck and for the first time I was making decisions of my own volition. Drinking and staying up until the obscure hours was a release from the grind of term papers and exams. In my mind, I was being an adult and doing adult things and as long as I was holding things down no one needs to question my motives and actions.

With those experiences in mind, that outrage was still there but was muted with a sense of both fear and empathy. In many ways, Ms. Goudie has bought into the mentality that everyone in college parties and gets polluted. That was the prevailing mentality that guided my life philosophy during my college years, and it was shaped by endless ABC Afterschool Specials, Animal House, MTV Spring Break and the general want and need to do things that were seen as naughty and forbidden.

Despite popular or accepted perception, not everyone in college gets blind drunk. In reading between the lines there are obvious dangers lurking in the negative spaces and between the cracks. All it takes is one event, one instance and things can change. It could be a DUI, a car crash or a night in the hospital with alcohol poisoning. There are other pitfalls as well, especially in this technological age. With the advent of social media such as Facebook and Twitter such events can be broadcast in real time.

This young lady may be basking in the glow of notoriety, but how will this defiant attitude play out in the larger perspective? I am sure that for the most part family and friends may be giving Samantha some form of reality check. In this age of pervasive social media, future employers are also paying attention. One can make the argument that whatever one does in his or her free time is nobody else’s business but their own, and to a degree they are correct in that assessment.

However, if one can step back and think about it in an objective manner, if someone is advertising the sordid and obscene parts of their private life for potentially millions to see what do you think people are going to remember about that person? What is a potential employer going to remember? In this age we live in, the private has become the main attraction behind the imagined velvet ropes. A person can be at their core a good person of great character and value. However, transgressions seen in the public eye can create a sort of scarlet letter, even if it was a random act done in poor judgment.

Where am I going with all of this? It appears that Ms. Goudie well probably never read this or even know this article even exists. Even if she were to find out that I wrote an article that was posted on a recovery website I don’t know if she would even take pause. If, for some reason, she would hear about this article and take the time to read what I write, I would offer this….

The old adage that actions speak louder than words is true. Bragging about being beyond drunk is not a badge that you can wear proudly. What you are doing to yourself is dangerous, period. You have achieved “fame” and attention…now what? Have you thought about the impact your actions have had on your family? Right now you may not care and are basking in the glow of fame. What would it take for you to change your mind?

Maybe I could show you what I was like at 22. Maybe you would see a young person—intelligent, headstrong and thinking I had all the answers. I was a good student and I drank a ton. I could after bar until 4am and be at work at 8 and kick ass at my job. I could go out until bar time on a school night and still be in class and participate and gets papers and assignments done on time. I got pulled over while dead drunk and got off…I could drive home while seeing double…I thought I was bulletproof.

It was all a lie. While my head was in the clouds I wasn’t paying attention to the ground at my feet. Slowly but surely the recreational nature of my drinking became problematic. Gradually I lost jobs, lost vehicles and eventually I lost a place to live and I become homeless. Because this took years to develop I noticed when I was deep in my addiction.

I am not preaching to you my dear, I am warning you from a person that has been there. You may read these words and scoff at them, and if you do I can understand—believe me. Maybe it will take something major and tragic in your life for you to wake up and realize that getting wasted is rolling the dice…all it takes is one time, one mistake and the ramifications could be insurmountable. I have experienced those times…car accidents, loss of friends and family, nights in the psych ward…and I never thought in a million years it would happen to me.

Whatever do you in your life is up to you….I hope you choose well.

Tim Powers – bald, tattooed, a business professional by day and rocker by night. Sober by the grace of God since the 8th of May in the year of our Lord 2003. Sharing my stories and myself in order to pay it forward. You can follow me on Twitter @tpowersbass42