Conflicted

For the past 2 plus years, I have been working towards my RN degree. I made some pretty good friends early on and we have made the effort every semester to have the same class schedule, if not the same clinical groups, in order to make studying as a group easier. Not as many schedule conflicts if we're all at school at the same time.

Our group has been a great mix of ages and types of people and I feel as though we've really gelled into a fantastic group. We have always respected each others differences... some of us are married, some single, some drink or smoke, some don't, some adhere to strict religious rules, some don't.... but these things have never been an issue.. until now.

One member of our core group changed his class schedule to specifically move away from those of us he has always liked because in his words "If I'm with y'all all the time I'm gonna wanna drink and stuff."  Which.. was conveyed to all of us by text. Which we didn't receive until after worrying about him today since he didn't show up for class.

I understand that for some people it's easier to hold to a higher standard if you are not constantly put in temptation. But what I don't understand is why (since drinking alcohol and/or smoking is not something we do ALL the time) he couldn't bring up the subject and ask us to not include him in the few times we may decide to drink. Which... for the record was twice last semester... once at the end to celebrate the end.. and once after a particularly long and tough clinic. AND none of us ever drink more than one beer. No one forced him to partake...at least half the folks there don't drink.

Anyway... it just makes me sad.. and conflicted. I feel like because he can't keep himself responsible, we are all being punished. LOL.. or worse.. that somehow those of us he moved away from have been tried, judged, and found wanting.

Because of how the schedule works at school, we will not see him very often, if at all during this school semester since he has made this choice. And since it appears that he does not intend to socialize with us because of our bad influence.. . it feels like he has essentially cut all ties with us.

Yes, I'm whining. I don't like losing friends when I don't feel I've done anything wrong.