Clint Hale | 210SA Former ‘Real World: Hawaii' cast member and wild child Ruthie Alcaide tells University of the Incarnate Word students about moderation.

As former “Real World: Hawaii” cast member Ruthie Alcaide stepped into Incarnate Word's Marian Hall Ballroom on Nov. 15, irony followed.

After all, during the premiere episode of 1999's “Real World: Hawaii,” Alcaide became so intoxicated, she was taken to the hospital in an ambulance and had to have her stomach pumped.

Now, in front of a crowd made up mostly of UIW students, Alcaide, who rose to fame as the unquestioned wild child of the “Real World: Hawaii” cast, had come to speak about the dangers of alcohol abuse and binge drinking.

And she didn't hold back during her 95-minute speech/Q&A session, broaching subjects such as sexually transmitted diseases, racism, alcoholism and even her first time being drunk.

“I was at a club dancing with this guy, and he asked if I was thirsty,” Alcaide told those in attendance. “I asked for an iced tea, and he went off and came back with a drink. I downed it, and thought it was the grossest iced tea ever. Then, I started getting dizzy.”

Alcaide had indeed downed an iced tea — an entire Long Island Iced Tea, a drink that features roughly five different types of alcohol.

From that point on, Alcaide — then a student at Rutgers — said she found herself drinking more and more.

At the age of 21, she landed a role on the “Real World: Hawaii.” What followed for Alcaide over the next few months were drunken blackouts, a heavily publicized drunken-driving experience and, ultimately, a trip to rehab.

“I thought of drinking as a competition,” she told the UIW crowd. “I was proud that I could drink a lot and never passed out. I puked and blacked out, but so did my friends, so I thought it was cool.”

Alcaide said she feels differently nowadays and tours the country warning college students about the dangers of binge drinking.

“A glass of wine is good for you, but a lot of people don't just drink one glass,” she told the audience. “Sometimes, they'll drink the whole bottle.”
Alcaide, who is of Hawaiian, Samoan and Filipino descent, also touched upon diversity and prejudice. She even had audience members pair up with strangers and hug it out to increase tolerance and good will.

Of course, Alcaide couldn't leave UIW without looking back on her “Real World: Hawaii” experience.

“They only show you a little, but I think I got most of the air time,” she said, laughing. “Not that I wanted to.”

CLINT HALE | 210SA