Koren Zailckas had her first taste of Southern Comfort at fourteen-years-old. Since then, she embraced alcohol as a quick fix for bravery and escape from her emotional issues. Intense alcoholic experiences through high school and college include getting her stomach pumped at 16, along with other frightening incidents like date rape. Finally at 24-years-old, she realizes this behavior must stop. Filled with accompanying statistics, Koren’s honest tale is a common one that older students might find relatable.

Buy Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas here

 

 

 

Discussion Questions:

1. How was Koren’s life in general affected by her alcohol abuse? What were some serious consequences?
2. Which was the most memorable of Koren’s binge drinking stories? Why?
3. What do you think of Koren using alcohol as an escape from troubling emotions?

Activities:

1. Write a journal entry listing some of your own upsetting emotions or thoughts similar to Koren’s, if any. How do you get past a dark mood? What is your accepted outlet?
2. Imagine that Koren was a close high school friend, and you have just read her surprising memoir. Write a letter to her expressing your reaction.