So I’ve just recently been admitted to many colleges recently. I am well aware of all the cons with drinking such as the health effects. However, why do people drink, and can anyone tell me the advantages with consuming alcohol in college?
Also, please share your “first time drinking” stories please.
It would be better if your first time drinking is under the supervision of someone you completely trust, like your parents, so that you can know what amount of drinking results in what level of impairment. Otherwise, you risk drinking too much (particularly with mixed drinks where the amount of alcohol may not be obvious) and getting so drunk that you will be taken advantage of, made a victim of a crime, or get injured accidentally.
“Advantages”? Really?
If you can call them that, then I guess it would give you a leg up in sociability? One of the most common activities is drinking, so that’ll help you fit right in. People do it because everyone else is doing it, or they just like the feeling, or some other reason.
Other than that, though, I doubt there are any “advantages”, sorry.
I’ve noticed that some people dance better after they’ve had a drink or two.
lol don’t you have any relatives that drink that can answer these questions for you?
I think it’s funny that you are trying to look at alcohol from a logical perspective. It’s a drug, it alters your state of consciousness and makes you feel good.
I drink because it makes things fun. Being in a dark club with flashing lights in your eyes and pounding music in your ears gets old after 5 minutes if you’re sober. It helps people relax, makes them less likely to be in the corner of a party pretending to look at their phone while wishing they should have just stayed home.
As for my first time, I tried drinking one of my dad’s beers when I was in middle school, didn’t like the taste and don’t like it now. Took my first shot sometime in high school at a family party so it was a “safe” environment, and I didn’t react badly to it. Never knew my limit until college because I never drank in excess in front of my parents.
I’m old. I don’t drink. I never understood the allure of drinking. Just so you know that’s my own personal bias.
That said, I’m a parent; not yours, so maybe you’ll listen to me as one adult to another, who just doesn’t want to see anyone get hurt – you, or your parents because of something that happens to you.
I beg you, if you decide to drink, be adult about it … that means being cautious about it and responsible. If your drinking affects anyone but you (e.g., you throw up = someone else has to clean it up; you can’t make it home = you have to rely on someone else to get you home; etc.), you are not being cautious and responsible. Remember it is a drug, and you can overdose if you treat a party like bingeing on candy or ice cream. Don’t do shots. Don’t eat the jello or drink the koolaid. Nurse a drink for a long time. Eat before/during drinking. Alternate alcohol with water. Stay with a buddy. Look out for each other; shut each other down if they’re drinking too much. Don’t leave a friend who has overindulged alone. Certainly don’t drive … but also consider whether you’re safe enough to walk without hurting yourself (e.g., walking in front of oncoming traffic while drunk is deadly too). Make a plan about if/how much to drink before you go to a party and stick with it. Being offered a drink is not pressure to drink; wave it off and say, “No thanks,” and you’ll likely find there is no push back and it is no big deal. Most of this is straight out of health class or alcohol.edu … but guess what, it’s true.
Remember: YOU and only YOU are responsible for your health safety when you go away to college. Yay! No parents! No rules! But discard them all, and you also discard the safety net that they put in place for you without you even being aware of it. Now you have to make your own safety net; it’s part of being a healthy, responsible adult. Don’t be stupid and think you can operate without one. You risk your life if you do. Yes, dying is the worst that could happen to you … but there are other bad consequences to live with too … unprotected sex, being a victim of or accused of sexual assault, injuries that happen while drunk, being arrested and/or put on probation because you’re underage, underachieving in your classes because too many weekends are a haze and you fall behind. Tons of stories of all of this are all over the news and CC. It happens a lot … and yes, it can happen to you.
Sure. There are some activities that people use to numb out the reality around them- many are somewhat addictive or obsessive, like going on College Confidential, playing video games, surfing the internet mindlessly, going on Netflix binges, and abusing drugs and alcohol. Basically, these activities allow you the feeling of “escape,” though they really end up only delaying any real-world problems and potentially allowing those problems to compound.
Amusement parks, clubs, movie theaters, gambling casinos all are designed for “escape”, to allow you to change perspective/POV and take time out of life for awhile.
Since this escape replaces ‘useful’ work, and in excess can be dangerous, it is not endorsed (at various thresholds of excess) by religious traditions that frown on sloth & gluttony or by medical professionals.
I feel like College Confidential is probably the worst place to ask about this. Don’t you have college-aged friends that either drink or don’t that could tell you?
Are there really benefits to drinking while in college? It’s akin to asking what are the benefits to exfoliating your legs in college. I don’t see the relation between them that could have a positive effect on the other…
The first time I drank was in the dorms (which was suite-style with its own common area. Each suite has its own common area separate from the bedrooms). My suitemates bought some kind of cheap flavored alcohol (not the hard liquor stuff) from a nearby gas station that contained maybe about 2-4% alcohol and I was curious at trying out the one that said it was fruit punch-flavored. I didn’t drink a lot, I had maybe about the equivalent of half a Dixie cup’s worth of alcohol, but my suitemates were awesome. They were respectful when I said I didn’t want to drink anymore because I was still unsure of whether I liked alcohol or not, and when I was drinking, they carefully watched to see if I would have any reactions to alcohol since I told them that my mom’s side of the family are all allergic to alcohol, and reassured me that I seemed fine (and I was–nothing weird happened to me). A year later though, I decided to try out wine, and found out that I have a preference for sweet alcohol more than the hard stuff. I’m not an alcoholic though, since I rarely drink, and unlike many other college students, I’m aware of my limits (which is, quite literally, one drink if the alcoholic content is above 8%). A classmate from my study abroad class once said to me “I’ve never seen someone so concerned about how much alcohol they’ve drank” after I consumed one alcoholic drink during one of our outings together and immediately tried to determine just how buzzed/drunk I was. I’ve never gotten drunk to the point of passing out before (and don’t plan to), I just get buzzed to the point where I’m giggling like a giddy teenager.
So pretty much just drink responsibly and know your limits. If you don’t want to drink, that’s fine, too.
Networking.
I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that I’ve seen 80% of my LinkedIn connections drunk. I mean, it’s a great way to get to know people a lot better–and once you drink with someone, (I’ve heard) you feel a bit more connected to them.
You don’t have to drink, and I won’t say whether I do or don’t, but it’s definitely a social activity.
You’ll be able to ingratiate yourself with the crowds of boors and floozies that feel the need to drink in order to socialize. I assure you, should you go down that path, you’ll find yourself with wasted money and time with nothing to show for it. Nothing productive ever comes from alcohol.
^I strongly disagree. Socializing leads to a larger network. Alcohol lowers inhibitions and makes socializing easier.
Are the party people really going to be helpful network contacts?? “Oh yeah, I saw you at that party last semester. You were passed out in your own vomit. Want a job?”
@bodangles I didn’t think we were talking about raging parties at fraternity houses… Does most of CC mark off alcohol as degenerate? Most of my friends (honors students, internships at MBB/Deloitte/bulge bracket banks, plan on top tier graduate schools) will just kick back with alcohol to ease up the conversation. They don’t always get absolutely hammered. Considering where those friends are, and how many of “my friends” have met those other friends at kickbacks people wouldn’t go to if they didn’t drink, I’d consider them valuable contacts.
Also, it’s the same way in most of those fields (law, consulting, finance). Alcohol is social tool. It’s a good idea to learn your limits and embarrass yourself in college rather than at a bar with your coworkers and associates.
Relying on alcohol to “loosen things up” is a behavior with which only those of weak personality can identify, Vctory. Perhaps you ought to re-evaluate who your friends are if not drinking is a dealbreaker at a function.
Testing one’s limits is great when gauging one’s ability to function in useful or laudable fields, not in alcohol. Do not test your limits there–actually, better yet, go right on ahead, so that employers know who not to hire after seeing pictures of your reverie on social media.
Not drinking isn’t a dealbreaker at a function. Drinking is like playing basketball or soccer or going to dinner or a movie; it’s a social event where you relax with friends and meet new people.
Loosening up is a character flaw? It’s not reliance on alcohol to have a good time; it’s the addition of alcohol for some extra pleasure. There’s a reason people add salt to their fries. They don’t rely on the salt, but it’s nice to have. They could get by just as fine eating the unsalted fries, but they find it more pleasurable to occasionally add the salt.
Have you ever considered why drinking is so popular in the business world? It allows people who are usually professional to disregard some of that professionalism.
I mean, you seem like a really fun person, but I don’t get the whole “alcohol is degeneracy!” crusade. Let people be people. If your networking functions don’t include alcohol and you don’t drink, then that’s ok; if someone’s does, then that’s ok.
OP, this actually is a concern. Never, ever, ever take pictures or let anyone take pictures of you while drunk or around alcohol. Always know your limits and find those limits around people you trust.
Salt isn’t a mind-altering substance…?
I think a lot of people need to learn the difference between “drinking until you black out” and “having a drink.” Drinking doesn’t automatically mean you are a “party person” or that you will “pass out in your own vomit” or even that you will vomit at all. And drinking also doesn’t mean that you are drunk.
Many college students binge drink, where they will drink large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time, but that’s not the only way to drink. At some point, most people grow out of it and “drinking” becomes having a glass of wine at dinner or a beer after work or a cocktail with friends, etc.
To be fair, I have had a drink at professional events or with other colleagues. I’ve been to conferences that had open bars and I had a drink while networking with other professionals in the field. I’ve had a drink with members of my lab after work–one lab I worked in had regular happy hours every week. I’ve had a drink with other grad students at school events. I’ve had a drink with people interviewing for my program during a “getting to know you” dinner. At no point did anyone get drunk. Many others were also drinking. Drinking is not a scary, dangerous, out of control thing that only “party people” do to get drunk. It is possible to drink responsibly.
OP, many people drink for social reasons. Many people drink because they like the taste. Many people drink because they like how alcohol affects them. And many people don’t drink at all. It doesn’t really matter which one you are. Just your first couple times drinking, be careful. It’s easy to get swept away in the peer pressure and environment if you don’t know what you’re doing. After a while, you’ll either decide that you don’t like drinking (which is fine) or you’ll figure out how to drink the way you want to.
This is the point I was trying to make.
CC seems to have a strong anti-alcohol slant, and dubs almost all drinkers as excessive partiers. My friends are very successful in their fields with 3.9’s-4.0’s and socially drink like above.
I was talking more about making socializing more pleasurable than it already is.