Quote:
Originally posted by josh8o
I started this thread because I was trying to see what other GCers could offer in a situation like this...possibly from their experiences.
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Josh,
I already posted here once, but this situation really strikes a chord with me, so I wanted to mention a couple of other things.
About a year and a half ago, my roommate committed suicide. I knew that he was upset about some things going on in his life, but I never for a minute thought that he was capable of killing himself. The thing is, he never asked for help from anyone -- he just started isolating himself from his friends and dealt with things on his own. As a result, he just became more and more depressed. Finally, one night when I was out with one of my sisters, he got drunk and killed himself.
My point in telling you this story is that sometimes we don't know how badly a person is hurting inside, and that your friend may have much bigger problems than you and your chapter are able to assist with. I would definitely encourage him to go home if you think that his family will be able to get him some help. And be sure to check up on him regularly, so that you can reinforce to him that you care and that you won't allow him to distance himself from his friends.
Until he does go home, I would really encourage you to keep him from drinking if possible. (That's tough in college - I know!)
However, alcohol is a depressant, so it may cause him to feel worse than he already does and it may lead to some bad decisions. So, please keep an eye on him.
Fraternally,
dzrose93