Drinking, partying and getting blackout drunk are all unfair stereotypes that people associate with college. Unfortunately, many college students feel the need to keep up with this repuatation during their time at school. It’s sickening that parents pay thousands of dollars to ship their children off to party for four years, when there are kids around the world who are still fighting for the right to an education.
When did college become about anything other than education? How did it evolve into an institution that is looked down upon because of the debauchery that allegedly takes place on every campus. Many college students probably agree that they are subject to more peer pressure to drink in college than they ever were in high school.
As someone who has never been interested in alcohol, I can honestly say I have never seen the appeal in it. In some respects, this is a good thing, because I have no inclination to “drown out my sorrows” or drink to “make the pain go away.” But unfortunately, my attitude towards partying and drinking has cost me a lot in college, including friends and boyfriends. I am proud to stand up for myself and my personality, but like anyone else who falls into the “different” category, I feel left out.
I think of it this way: what do I have to gain by drinking alcohol? 1) I’d rather spend my calories on something else, preferably something chocolate. 2) It doesn’t even taste good. It seems idiotic to me to force something down my throat by “chasing” it, only for it to probably make me sick later. I can get behind the idea of having a beer or a Smirnoff Ice at a summer BBQ because it’s hot outside. It’s almost like having a soda. But, is it really? No, it’s not. Because soda doesn’t affect your brain. It doesn’t impair your ability to drive, cause deadly accidents, or make people act abnormally.
I’ve never understood why people would willingly choose to give up control of their bodies. Waking up somewhere and not knowing how you got there? No thanks. Waking up with someone and not remembering being with them? No, thank you. Getting so angry or upset that you hurt someone you love? That sounds like a great time. Getting so blackout drunk that you can’t remember your night? If you can’t remember it, how do you even know it was fun? Does anyone else not see the lunacy that these questions have in common?
Maybe a beer to cool off in the summer heat is harmless. But drinking to get drunk? Just tell me, what’s the benefit? Because if being with people who won’t remember the memories we’ve shared, whose hair I have to hold, who I have to carry home from a party, or who hooks up with someone else because they’re so wasted out of their mind they can’t remember who is who…if that’s what having relationships in college is all about, then count me out.