Lovelyish

yeah some people take it too far. at my school there were a group of girls who would enjoy and revel in the fact that they blacked out last night, which doesn’t really make much sense to me. Sometimes, I feel like college is a competition to see who can get the most shitshow (excluding the legitimate kookoos), but these people fail to realize that they’re being laughed at, not laughed with. I don’t think I drank too much, but there were certain nights I did drink past what I could handle. 

The saddest thing is when the fratties/sratties graduate and still act the same in the real world as they did in college. There’s nothing more pity/hate inducing than a 30 year old man acting like a little alocholic frat boy who never grew up – there are a bunch of those in DC. 

I am recovering from alcoholism and I have to say that daily drinking is indicative of an addiction to alcohol. I like the separation here that distinguishes problem drinking from alcoholism because in my relapse I engaged in mostly that, whereas in my alcoholism I needed to drink as soon as I woke up and often did not sleep for days on serious binges before almost comatose-like hibernation and stomach-curdling hangovers. It started mostly with drinking to relieve stress of college and life in general and as one of many triggers, the stress of school does put many students at risk. I always encourage students to look into campus programs that provide support for those seeking ways to cope without alcohol.

I’ve never had a drink once, and I’m graduating college this May. Never been to a party, gone out with friends, or any of that bull that “all college kids” do. I’m way too mature to seriously believe alcohol is a way to “unwind.” It’s called running away. It’s called being irresponsible. If you’re in college, you should be doing your homework and projects, and sleeping rather than going out and getting buzzed with people you will never see again after you graduate. I guess I’m probably the only college student who feels this way, but honestly… you don’t go to college to party, drink, make friends, have sex, etc. You pay to get an education, and that is where your attention should be at all times.

Anyone who has ever had an alcoholic beverage is an alcoholic, to me. And chances are, if you drink on a regular basis, I will never be your friend. I don’t want to hear stories. I don’t want to tell you constantly how dumb I think what you’re doing is. Because people who drink… really love to tell stories about it. And I have no patience for those people.

So I suppose… yes, I think college drinking is a HUGE problem, yes, I make good decisions because my judgement is never impaired in any way, and the rule I follow to be “safe” is to just go home after class and don’t get involved with making plans with people. It may seem boring, but that’s what school is.

xX Ame ~*~ Hana Xx

@Broken_Black_Moon@xanga -  – I feel like your comment about anyone who’s had an alcoholic beverage is an alcoholic is a little extreme. :-/

I don’t necessarily think it’s college drinking that’s a problem. I think it’s more around the time in our lives when we think we’re invincible and can do whatever we want because we’re young, but we’re also considered “adults” because we’re legal to drink, if that makes any sense.

I have a mixture of friends who go to college, have already graduated college, or don’t go to college at all and each of them, as well as I, handle drinking and partying differently, but we all still know our limits when we’re in unfamiliar settings or we’re with people we don’t know. Usually, when we get together on casual dinners, a few of us drink a beer before we head out. If we know it’s an event like a birthday party or a mini-vacay, then we usually let our inhibitions go; however, we’re still responsible enough to know we need to assign at least two DDs.

As for me, I’m not one who enjoys drinking every chance I get. Of my friends, I’m usually Miss Sober Dober. I really need to be in the mood to drink and/or get drunk.

I think it’s quite pathetic that people go out and drink so much that they can’t remember what happened. I have friends who go out and can’t remember hours of their night, can’t remember how they got home etc, and that’s scary. Why is it enjoyable to black out, vomit your guts up in a toilet and spend the following day feeling so awful that you can barely get out of bed? You’re basically paying to feel like shit.

@Broken_Black_Moon@xanga - I think there’s a difference between having one beer when you go out to dinner with your boyfriend (like I do, and it’s usually only once a week if we’re lucky to be on the same schedule) and having three beers every night because that’s your only way of winding down or coping with stress.

So, don’t lump the every-once-in-a-while drinkers in with the alcoholics because those are two COMPLETELY different scenarios.

I’ll bet these statistics are super low in Europe and other places where the drinking age is super low. Their parents really teach them how to respect alcohol and not go overboard (I’m not just talking out of my ass, we had foreign exchange students from Europe in my high school and they would drink their drinks and look so cool and collected at parties- hardly ever got out of control like I’ve seen Americans do). But you gotta think of it this way; a lot of parents think that sheltering their children is the right thing to do. So once they finally get out from under their parent’s thumb and realize they can pretty much do whatever they want, it’s a whole new world out there. I drank a bit in college, but I had lived alone and done the whole drinking binge thing before college, so I didn’t need it. But the minute I moved out of my parent’s house.. I’m pretty sure I drank for 3 straight months and did everything my parents said I couldn’t do before lol.

Everyone has a bit of a wild streak, and it definitely comes out with freedom!

I was a heavy drinker in college. And not just a few– my goal was to get drunk and party. Hard. But after I graduated that all stopped. I got it ‘out of my system’ so to speak. Now I hardly ever drink. @Broken_Black_Moon@xanga - ”Anyone who has ever had an alcoholic beverage is an alcoholic” No no, honey. As someone who grew up with an alcoholic you couldn’t be more wrong

I don’t like alcohol simply because of the smell and taste, the most I had was sips and samples (a little bit of fruity drinks and champagne are okay to me, otherwise my physician still listed me as a non-drinker). And with the kind of wacky person like me, I’m not curious to open that Pandora’s box of myself, lol.

I do have twenty-something friends who drinks and are very responsible on how to handle it, but I only know a very few people who may not be able to control themselves when they drink. I don’t mind people who drinks, as long as they do so responsively and not to the point when you are worried for them (such as if you offer a place for them to sleep and they rather drive out) .There is no alcoholic in my social circle– I don’t know anyone who drinks everyday.

What I really want to know is, how the fuck can college kids AFFORD alcohol!?!? (Although, I’d also like to know how college kids can afford college, but that’s another discussion entirely.)

I see you’re in Columbia, hopefully attending Mizzou! My brother goes to school there, and it’s as much of a party town as any. I think anybody in that age range (19-25) believes that it’s completely normal to drink everyday or make drinking a big part of socialization. But you never know who out of all of them are going to leave college and continue on to be a serious alcoholic. I also see it as such a health risk, not only in prolonged years of life, but in one’s immediate interest! Just the other day at a smaller college by my home town, a kid who was standing up for his girlfriend at a bar got pushed by two other drunk college kids, fell back, hit his head, and bleed to death internally. Those two kids who pushed him might not have been super bad guys, just influenced by alcohol, and the kid who died might not have fell if it wasn’t for his altered equilibrium, which was influenced by alcohol! I think the difference between college drinkers and social drinkers is of course it’s not as often, but also the degree of rowdiness! 

Being an alcoholic means you have a problem. Do I think me having a beer three to five nights a week is a problem? No. It doesn’t affect my life in any way. I rarely feel buzzed, I don’t get hung over from such small amounts, it doesn’t disturb my work. Honestly, my diet soda consumption worries me and affects my life a lot more. 

Maybe it’s the whole “being raised in Europe” thing, but to me, having a glass or two of wine or a beer every night is perfectly normal and what people do. My parents always offer wine or beer with dinner but I’ve seen them drunk maybe twice in my life. 

@Lost__In_My_Mind@xanga - I agree, I did not become interested in drinking until my parents moved back to the States and alcohol wasn’t something anyone could walk into a bar and buy.  My drinking decreased considerably when the thrill of figuring out how to get the alcohol was gone.  It was no longer illegal and therefore NBD (again).

Binge drinking and drinking for the thrill of drinking in no way equates alcoholism or an addiction to alcohol.  Being an addict implies the person cannot function or feel normal without their substance of choice.  Alcoholism is a problem on college campus but most college students are not alcoholics.

@AncoraImparo@xanga -  I did too. Several. And I’ve had plenty of other bad experiences with other people drinking. There have been ruined holidays, hospitalization, jail time, and deaths as a result. This is why I have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to anyone who willingly drinks alcohol. Nothing good has ever come of it, in my experiences. Therefore, I simply refuse to be a part of it, and I think all people who drink are the same. People who drink are branded “dangerous” in my eyes. There are other ways to relax and have a good time, so I don’t understand why anyone would pick alcohol.

xX Ame ~*~ Hana Xx

@pick_my_friggin_nose@xanga -  It probably was a bit harsh to say that. But that was pretty much my way of saying I believe all people who drink alcohol are the same type of person that I just don’t want to be involved with. I’ve had a lot happen to me and others around me all because someone was drinking. Sometimes not even heavily. So I’m just done dealing with it, and I don’t understand why anyone would want to do it. Let alone college students, who are not even old enough to drink until their junior year anyway.

xX Ame ~*~ Hana Xx

@ask_ashleyyy@xanga -  I guess you’re right on that. The scenerios are different, but the disposition of the people may not be. Everyone who cosumes alcohol is dangerous to me, because something bad always happens to me or those around me when alcohol is involved. I’ve never had a pleasant experience with it. So it’s just easier for me to lump them all together and be done with it. It avoids more potential disaster, I guess.

xX Ame ~*~ Hana Xx

I think you’re exaggerating a bit. The majority of college students are responsible and know how to take care of themselves. A lot of them DON’T drink. I really don’t like generalizations. 

I don’t drink for personal reasons but I do know people who do and I wouldn’t consider them alcoholics. They go out once and a while to have fun. They know their limits and they wouldn’t abuse it, or put themselves in a dangerous situation. It all depends on how you can handle yourself and if you know how you react to alcohol. 

Are most college students alcoholics? Depends on where you take your sample. If you sample/survey from Tampa, UC Santa Barbara, or other notorious party schools you’ll obviously get a bias. Though that can also happen if you survey from frats even in studious top schools.
My uni is pretty well known for its hippie culture, so weed and other hallucinogens are more common and preferred to drinking. I personally don’t have time or desire to get drunk. Champagne and red wine can be tasty. Luckily since I cannot stomach cheap or mediocre quality alcohol and I can’t afford a $300 bottle of wine, my liver and wallet thank me (:

I rarely drink alochol,   I sometimes have to take part in toasting someone,  my family are fully aware I don’t drink alochol and will not force it down me.  

At college I did not drink only because the courses we did,   was the other option to staying on to sixth form.      I did not hang out with anyone outside college time.

When my sister went to university she drank sensible and now she is working she has to drink sensible,    I did not go to university as I did not have enough qualifications to do so.

My liver etc can thank me in later life.

@Broken_Black_Moon@xanga - Yes, me too, several. And lives were indeed destroyed by alcoholism on many occasions. But growing up so close to alcoholics and alcoholism has certainly taught me the difference between drinkers and alcoholics. There is an important difference. I am eternally grateful that I am not afflicted with alcoholism, able to drink responsibly, and keep a bottle of rum in the freezer for 1 year as opposed to sucking it down in 3 days.
All that said, I understand you wanting to stay away from booze and am sorry you’ve had to deal with that. Not fun.

@Broken_Black_Moon@xanga - Saying everyone who drinks is an alcoholic is a rather big stretch, and frankly, quite offensive. I never understood the need some college students felt to drink incessantly every weekend. I don’t understand the joy of getting drunk and vomiting. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a drink every now and then. And saying that all people who drink love to talk about it? No ma’am, I don’t ever brag about how much I can drink or talk about my drunk escapades. Why? I know how to have a couple of drinks and still retain my dignity, and more importantly, how to get both myself and my friends home safely. I don’t know what kind of people you’ve come across, but it’s really foolish to let them cloud and taint your judgment of every person on earth who drinks. Think about all the great people you’re probably not meeting JUST because they choose to have a different choice of *beverage*.

Sadly, my brother-in-law did start his heavy drinking in college…did become an alcoholic. He died of metastatic colon cancer at age 40.

I will always think that his death was due to his alcohol.. He drank his meals and thus did not give his body anything to fight off the cancer. 
That’s the way I see it. Very sad. 

@xiaosnowtenshi@xanga - It probably is offensive, but that’s just my way of saying people who willingly impair their judgement are all dangerous and not people I want to be around, so I view them all as the same. It’s just how I see things, because problems involving alcohol aways find me. I just don’t understand why people can’t find something else to do that doesn’t affect their actions/reactions.

Also, people talking about drinking is as simple as “So I was at this party and I had a glass of wine. It was really good, it was called *insert name*!” Just the fact that they drank it is what bothers me, there. There is nothing else wrong with that statement. But I just think it’s an awful idea to interfere with the way your brain functions in the name of “fun.” Because no matter if you “know your limit” or “know how to get home safe” or not, you are still affected, and you are still not at 100%. The fact that someone can willingly do that, is the part that I find insane and dangerous. In all the situations I’ve been in, impaired judgement has been why it all happened. It isn’t fun, and it’s not safe to not be in complete control. You may fool yourself into thinking that after just one drink, you’re not affected. But you are. And there really isn’t any good reason to do that to yourself. (Just to clarify, I’m using a general “you” here. I don’t want you to think I’m talking about only you, specifically.)

Anyone who would willingly do something as reckless as drinking, smoking, doing any type of drug, or anything else that affects their motor and cognative skills… is not someone I need to be around, for fear of it affecting them, or me, the wrong way one day.

xX Ame ~*~ Hana Xx

…No. There’s a difference between drinking socially and drinking privately and alcoholics typically drink alone. If you’re drinking because “everyone is” you’re an idiot, not an alcoholic. My ex-best friend was an alcoholic and whenever we hung out, there was beer. I would drink 5-7 days a week because it was what we did. I never drank when I wasn’t with her and when we stopped hanging out I didn’t continue drinking. I went through withdrawal from alcohol (pain in the ass) so my body was addicted to it but I didn’t have that drive to continue drinking alone regardless of external circumstances.

Now, years later, I’ve taken to drinking again but not in that quantity. I have a glass of wine 3-5 times a week depending on what I’m doing that day and my stress levels but drinking doesn’t trigger a “Need it now can’t stop!” reaction. 

@Broken_Black_Moon@xanga - Everything about your comment makes me want to throw a grenade at your face.

@Broken_Black_Moon@xanga - You are definitely the type that is probably a comfort eater.  You know there are other ways to relax and that even food affects your body and cognitive function right?

@snarkius@xanga - I don’t consider myself a “comfort eater”, but I could very well be. I just say I’m a compulsive overeater.

And yes, food affects your cognative function, but not in a way that impairs one’s judgement. The lack of ability to make rational decisions is what bothers me about alcohol. Eating doesn’t affect your overall actions, reaction time, or decision-making skills the way drinking does. It’s different. At least to me.

xX Ame ~*~ Hana Xx

I, personally, chose not to drink alcohol at all when I was in undergrad, and when I did my master’s degree, I had two drinks total, which wasn’t even enough to get me tipsy.  I was never really interested in drinking.  That is not to say that I frown upon people who do choose to drink or that I think I am superior to those who drink; it just isn’t for me.  Now that I am in my mid-20s, almost all of my friends drink to some degree, and I am perfectly fine with that, since most of them make wise decisions about their alcohol intake, and they are responsible enough to never drive after they have consumed alcohol.

Drinking is a large part of the college social scene, and I know a lot of people who are social drinkers, meaning that they only drink when they are in the company of friends.  Of course, there are others I know who have developed a dependency on alcohol and choose to get drunk daily, and those are the people I worry are in danger of becoming life-long alcoholics.  

I think whether or not college drinking is a huge problem can only be determined on a case-by-case basis.  Some college students are smart about their drinking and think ahead.  Personally, I believe that students should be aware of their own alcohol limitations and analyze their situation (How will I get home?  Who is here?  Do I trust these people?  Will somebody here help me if I get sick? etc.) before determining how much to drink in a given night.  Thinking ahead often prevents a lot of unfortunate situations from occurring.  

I drank in college. A lot,actually. So did most of my friends. I mostly chalked it up to that being the only way I could socialize and not be awkward. It was Dutch courage for me. Probably the same for my friends, as it’s kind of hard to put a bunch of angsty thespians in a house together sober and it not be awkward. I can’t remember anyone being problem drunks, except for people who came to the parties that were not normally in our social group. Those people were crazy. Since we graduated, though, most of us dropped back down to being moderate drinkers.

What’s so entertaining about being drunk anyway? Been there, done that a couple times, still don’t get it. 
And perhaps it’s just me, but I’d much rather have friendships formed by wholesome time spent with friends for who they are, not the stupid entertainment they provide when they’re drunk. 
The drinking parties get old and repetitive, going to the bars gets expensive. I only have fun at those thigns if alcohol isn’t a facilitator, but a small treat.