I was appalled and personally offended by Evan Cochran's comments in his latest column, "A stupid thing to draw lines over" (Sept. 30). In his column, he fiercely defends his use of cocaine and disregards the judgment of his critics.
As a self-proclaimed "expert on the subject," Cochran feels that one reason cocaine is the new party drug is because it is "a whole lot of fun." In doing so, he entirely dismisses the seriousness of chronic narcotic use, and could very well be comparing his habit to an animated game of chess with grandpa.
So, am I an expert? Hardly. But what I can say is that I've seen what happens when cocaine users think that they're invincible, when they are, as Mr. Cochran stated, "young and out-of-control and reckless."
On Aug. 5, 2003, a very close friend of mine died at the hands of cocaine abuse. He was a brilliant musician, a great friend and only 22 years old.
If doing cocaine is as good a time as Mr. Cochran proclaims, I would like him to tell me how it feels to watch your brother get a gun put to his head in a drug deal gone awry. I would like him to tell me how it feels to see one of your best friends overdose and become brain damaged, unable to play a single chord on the red Fender guitar he used to master. I would like him to tell me how it feels to watch your hero die.
I therefore have trouble reconciling my own past with Mr. Cochran's assertion that he and his friends "don't feel that any of these things are wrong." I can only wonder what it will take for them to be bombarded by reality and admit otherwise.
This is not intended to be a personal attack. Mr. Cochran may very well be, using his own words, a "spectacular person," but he must realize that he is not indestructible. The fact that he is intelligent and college-educated doesn't exclude him from the dangers of cocaine. I just hope that he, unlike my friends, doesn't have to learn that lesson the hard way.
Lisanne Petracca
LA '06
