Whether it is nobler in the mind to suffer the jeers of your merrymaking friends on the porch – or to take arms against the stigma of irresponsible, collegiate drunkenness in general – and by opposing either factions earn the grit of your youthful independence, frankly, is not the question.
Your attitude toward the consumption of alcohol in any form or quantity is a habit, a series of decisions over time leading to a consistency in behavior. This habit should not be affected by your immediate society or by some self-righteousness that is staked on fear and ignorance.
No – your decision to drink or not to drink at house parties on Buffalo, in small gatherings at Lancer Park, or even in your Curry dorm suite should be a practical and ethical consideration.
You wouldn’t wolf down in one sitting that fifth donut from that box you bought at the Boy Scout fundraiser or the “Huge” one-pounder double bacon cheeseburger at Cookout. You wouldn’t go weeks without sleep looting caves full of virtual gear on Destiny with your fraternity brothers. You wouldn’t wear your Superman pajamas bottoms to class for your news presentation with makeup (yours?) smeared onto the front of your T-shirt.
No – you would at least eat a banana from D-Hall or a hard boiled egg and even a salad (maybe with a little too much ranch). You would at least take a nap in the commuter lounge between French Class and Public Speaking. You would at least make an effort to look presentable for any presentation in a classroom setting.
You would at least think twice. Why should drinking be any different?
Alcohol use should be considered in the context of your responsibilities.
In perspective: two nights out drinking is two days gone out of a seven-day week if you count the hangover the following morning until noon. With assignments due at least five days a week and all that we are involved in, be it the Paleontology Club’s dinosaur movie nights or a food drive for local families in need, where can we even find the time? Can we really afford to be so self-indulgent as to drink so much in lieu of our true passions and commitment to a career program?
Practically speaking, a habit of turning it up can ruin meaningful, memorable life experiences.
Drinking though too can become an ethical choice. After all, we are responsible not only for ourselves but also those who invest in us.
Eight shots of straight bourbon and a few margaritas in the span of a few hours is not a feat but a miracle: it’s alcohol poisoning, even if you didn’t wind up in the hospital. Would you have put yourself in the same state in front of your parents, whose health insurance you are on?
A twenty-four pack of gas station beer and a bottle of vodka passed around the boys on the porch may have sparked great conversations, but have you decided if you are going to drive home yet Now how can you even think about driving home, when you are not even sure if you can make it down the front steps without falling? Are you going to be able to see through your windshield the old man walking his terrier across the intersection at 3am?
Be you a woman or a man, would you want to pass out in a house full of strangers? Wouldn’t your significant other worry? Shouldn’t you?
What I am urging here is not abstinence – despite the gruesome scenarios I’ve invoked. For one, where I came from abroad, alcohol is a normal part of everyone’s routine and the legal age is 18 (a different discussion). What I am recommending here is a more mindful decision when it comes to consuming alcohol.
This is all I am proposing: Who and what are we really affecting with each drink?
