Spring Break
Binge drinking not needed to have fun
Andrew Thomason
Issue date: 8/24/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
During every college student's career, there comes a time when he or she must answer the question "Is getting completely hammered my cup of tea?" Usually this kind of introspective thinking comes after a night you can hardly remember followed by a morning/afternoon that you'd like to forget.
For me, this question reared its head after a long and humid jog. While I didn't have the pounding headache that usually accompanies a hangover, I did have the dehydration. The best way I could make sense of this question was to prepare a list of pros and cons and weigh them against each other. Laid out for you is my list:
Pros
• It gives you an excuse to be immature.
• Finally, you are socially lubricated enough to talk to that crush you've been eyeing all semester.
• It helps you forget about all problems, however large or small they may be.
• You can provide entertainment for the slightly less inebriated students.
• You can meet new and interesting people with whom you would normally not converse.
Cons
• It's noon - you are dead tired from being up until God knows when drinking - but you can't sleep because of the hangover.
• Any light or noise makes you feel like a pickaxe-wielding gnome trapped inside your head is trying to escape.
• Despite the empty Gatorade bottle on the floor, your mouth is still dry and it doesn't seem that anything can help.
• After coming out of your hangover coma, you realize you blew all of your money at the bar, and then find an ATM receipt for an additional $50 you can't account for.
• You don't remember it, but all of your friends explain how big of a jackass you were to that crush.
I am sure there are some of you who are saying there are more that could be added to both lists, but these are the major issues I see. Overall, the cons play rope-a-dope to the pros, letting the pros convince students to binge drink on Friday night. Then on Saturday morning, the cons come back with a fury, causing a "I'm never going to drink again" hangover.
The lesson to be learned from this list is simple: Do not over-drink. Please do not misinterpret me. I enjoy a cold beer or two, but I find it extremely difficult to understand why people who come to expand their knowledge enjoy reverting back to the mental level of an 8-year-old.
Unfortunately, this friendly warning will most likely go unheeded. But for those of you who think twice next time before ordering that double shot of vodka, congrats - you have graduated to the School of Responsible Drinking.
For me, this question reared its head after a long and humid jog. While I didn't have the pounding headache that usually accompanies a hangover, I did have the dehydration. The best way I could make sense of this question was to prepare a list of pros and cons and weigh them against each other. Laid out for you is my list:
Pros
• It gives you an excuse to be immature.
• Finally, you are socially lubricated enough to talk to that crush you've been eyeing all semester.
• It helps you forget about all problems, however large or small they may be.
• You can provide entertainment for the slightly less inebriated students.
• You can meet new and interesting people with whom you would normally not converse.
Cons
• It's noon - you are dead tired from being up until God knows when drinking - but you can't sleep because of the hangover.
• Any light or noise makes you feel like a pickaxe-wielding gnome trapped inside your head is trying to escape.
• Despite the empty Gatorade bottle on the floor, your mouth is still dry and it doesn't seem that anything can help.
• After coming out of your hangover coma, you realize you blew all of your money at the bar, and then find an ATM receipt for an additional $50 you can't account for.
• You don't remember it, but all of your friends explain how big of a jackass you were to that crush.
I am sure there are some of you who are saying there are more that could be added to both lists, but these are the major issues I see. Overall, the cons play rope-a-dope to the pros, letting the pros convince students to binge drink on Friday night. Then on Saturday morning, the cons come back with a fury, causing a "I'm never going to drink again" hangover.
The lesson to be learned from this list is simple: Do not over-drink. Please do not misinterpret me. I enjoy a cold beer or two, but I find it extremely difficult to understand why people who come to expand their knowledge enjoy reverting back to the mental level of an 8-year-old.
Unfortunately, this friendly warning will most likely go unheeded. But for those of you who think twice next time before ordering that double shot of vodka, congrats - you have graduated to the School of Responsible Drinking.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
AngelaD
posted 8/24/07 @ 2:01 AM EST
Thank you so much for this article. You're right, your advice probably will go unheeded by many students who because of immaturity have to learn by experience, sometimes many repeated experiences, but all the same, I'm very glad to see something like this in the paper. (Continued…)
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