I've been trying to reach out to people in different ways recently and one of those ways has lead me to my old boarding school (high school, freshman year). I was such a troubled child that my parents sent me to boarding school for my freshman year of high school. What a mixed bag that was. Part of me felt abandonded and alone but another part saw it as a great opportunity to meet new people, start fresh in a new state. I think for a lot of people who go to boarding school, it ends up being a life forming time and you really make some of the best friends you will ever have. I know for me it was that, but it was also so much more. My first traumatic event that wasn't family related happend there, which eventually ended in me being hospitalized. I was 13 when I started my freshman year, realtively inexperienced with drugs and sex, but I considered myself to be a vetran at both. I remember the very first night I ended up chugging Everclear straight from a bottle to impress my new friends/roommates - what a mistake that was! For those of you who may ot know this, Everclear is grain alcohol, I believe it is 191 proof (it has been I while since I have enjoyed this particular spirit), and it caused me to hyperventilate! Not a good thing when you're on school grounds, breaking curfew with a bottle of grain alcohol! Needless to say, almost every night was spent chasing one high or another.