Honey, you don't HAVE to explain to anyone why you aren't drinking; if they have a problem with it, then tough on them. If you tell them that you don't have a problem with THEM drinking, they're usually OK with it. And really, if they are trying to get you to "join in" with them, isn't it possible that in the back of their mind they know that it probably isn't the smartest thing to be doing? That maybe they think that the more people who are doing it, the more "acceptable" their doing it is? That's an issue that THEY are going to have to work out on their own.....

As to your statement, "I feel as though i should have the ability to be strong enough to get to class. I owe that to myself", I have to take issue with what you are saying. You have a disease that causes your muscles to not get enough energy. Whether or not you SHOULD have strength, the cold hard fact is that you DON'T have that strength. It's not something that you can change by wanting it to be so, so quit beating yourself up over it. What you "owe" yourself is to understand that you have a limited amount of energy available and you have to maximize what you are able to do with that finite amount of energy.

I think I suggested before, you NEED to look into the Disability Services that are available on campus. If there is some way that you can get a "ride" between your dorm and your classrooms, then take advantage of that. Every extra step that you take is less energy for other things. It's basic physics, and the laws of physics CANNOT BE CHANGED, no matter how much we may wish otherwise!

I explained it to my husband in terms of an electric car/cell phone/laptop - the battery will only hold so much energy, and when that energy is used up the battery has to be recharged. If you do anything that requires more energy (in the case of a car, things like going up steep hills, running the AC, playing the radio, etc.), the charge lasts significantly less time before the battery has to be recharged. And once the battery is drained, the device WILL NOT WORK until the battery is recharged. Again, simple physics.

Think about what you do when you know that your cell phone or your laptop is low on batteries, and apply similar thinking to your body. If anyone asks why you aren't doing something, I'd be willing to bet if you put it in terms that they can understand, they will be much more able to accommodate you not just then, but also in the future. Just tell them, "My muscles' batteries are running low, and I need to recharge", and they should "get" it!