Mr. Cheeseburger The last few months I’ve noticed
a growing trend among many of my girl friends, alcohol consumption.
What’s worse is they post these pictures on Facebook to let others know they’re getting drunk every other night.
I asked a few of my friends on Healthkicker and
Facebook to get a better understanding of why they have been getting drunk recently.
Here are a few responses:
One friend Mary said she’s been drinking a lot because of her newfound freedom in college (first year).
Another, Jackie said most of her friends are bored so they go out drinking to have fun.
And the last girl, Jenna said she drinks because she 21’s and she can. Plus her parents always drank and she never saw anything wrong with it.
When asked if they knew the consequences of their heavy drinking, they all basically said the same thing, you live once, might as well enjoy it.
That bothered me somewhat. I’m all for living life to the fullest, but getting drunk every other night is not my definition of living life. It’s more or less a cry for help but they seem to be fine living their life this way so I’m not going to complain. I just think people might need to learn how to balance their lives so that alcohol isn’t taking up the majority of it.
Do you think there’s a growing trend of alcohol consumption among women? Are the above responses legit reasons to drink regularly? Why or why not?
Comments (175)
I don't know, but I feel like drinking now.
I agree, I think people drinking as much as they do is not "just having fun" anymore. I don't know if it's on the rise but either way it's out of hand. Anything in moderation isn't that bad, but binge drinking is not "living life" at all.
Do you think there’s a growing trend of alcohol consumption among
women?
I don't know. Probably.
Are the above responses legit reasons to drink regularly? Why
or why not?
They're "legit", but they're not very smart reasons. I think if you need alcohol to have fun, you're lacking an imagination.
Just one question, are all of these girls still able to function properly even with this constant drinking? For example, if any of them have always been straight A students, have they still remained as such? Do these girls understand that while they have freedom, they still have responsibilities to their education while in college, and so actually do study?
If the answer to these questions is no, then I do have to agree with you that they need help.
HOWEVER. If they are still generally able to function properly during the day and if they're not like drinking alone in their rooms 24/7, but while socializing, I think you have something pretty normal going on and no need to freak out. Yes, it's not necessarily healthy to get drunk every other night. But. They are young and free of most responsibilities (besides like studying). This is not going to always be the case. They are going to graduate from college pretty soon and they will have a job, and as with most people, this constant drinking will stop.
If it doesn't, there is definitely a problem. But I don't think they need to be signed up to Alcoholics Anonymous any time soon either.
@LadyLibellule@xanga - Totally agree. I don't drink, but I don't see anything wrong with it...if you don't get crazy drunk, and behave in ways that are risky to you or to others.
Do you think there’s a growing trend of alcohol consumption among
women?
Not really, but as I can't legally drink, I can't give a proper answer.
Are the above responses legit reasons to drink regularly? Why
or why not?
Having an occasional fun night or drinking safely once you're twenty-one isn't bad, but drinking too much that often is just stupid. I'd like to point out to those friends that if the highlight of their lives is drinking every other night, then their lives are extremely mundane and they need to change something about it. ;)
i personally cannot stand the taste of alcohol. it has a nasty bitter taste. i cannot get myself to indulge that stuff. the most i can drink is a shot.
well I've stopped drinking / no more drunk days
Reason: I found a reason NOT to drink
I've stopped being a show off* - no more drunk pics plastered all over facebook
& realized you dont have to drink to have a fun time
i think a lot of college kids drink b/c they see most of their friends do it and they almost feel like they will be seen as losers if they don't (peer pressure). on some level i think it goes further than that though. i think on a subconscious level they want to be on equal footing with men; at least what they perceive of men (party/sleep around without consequences).
i definitely don't agree with it, just a thought
It probably is a growing trend. I think some girls do it to impress guys, too. "Hey, I can get just as wasted as you!"
Having turned 20 roughly a month ago and living in Japan (the legal drinking age is 20) I still don't see the big deal in drinking. Beer is disgusting, and overall I don't like the taste of alcohol. I like the ones that are mixed with fruit juices, but I don't need alcohol in them! To me it's kinda dumb. I can have my fun doing something else besides getting drunk and making myself look like a dumbass.
A few of my college classmates and my friend and I went to this bar/restaurant a few months ago. This one guy was drinking this whole pitcher of something, saying how wasted he was getting. We then found out that it was oolong tea and there was no alcohol in it. He immediately went, "wtf?!" and went to find something alcoholic. It was hilarious, but it shows you don't need alcohol to have a good time.
It seems like the importance of spending time with friends has shifted from having fun together and drinking to getting together for the purpose of drinking.
I feel like at my school I see girls drinking just to fit in and be cool. I see facebook pictures like this all the time. It's annoying. I'll have 1 drink, which is usually a fruity mixed one, once a month. It seems like people only drink to get wasted. What's the point of that?
so the problem is women drinking too much? i have a problem with that, i mean, if the problem was say - people drinking too much - then alright i see where you're coming from...
too much of anything is bad - BUT for any gender...
when i drink it's to relax and have fun, if others don't think it's right or somehow there must be a problem for me to like drinking and getting drunk...well then i hope they get a headache from thinking so much of MY life. as long i'm not out there driving drunk or allowing anyone else to...then i don't see the problem with it. and if people want to post pictures of their good times, let them be, it's their life...
Couple of reasons I think. 1. this includes everyone, times are tough right now. Sure the news blows it out of proportion but still people are having trouble in some places and alcohol makes you feel better. 2. Girls can get drunk more often cuz the majority are lightweights compared to guys. So they dont have to spend as much to feel better or loosened up. 3. It's a excuse for them to do whatever they want (this is for more of the girls then the women). It means they can make out with guys and whatnot and then have a excuse that they were drunk. Those are my reasons.
I refuse to drink. Yeah, I'm only 15, but it's not like it isn't available to me. I dislike alcohol, so I seriously doubt that I'll ever get into drinking.
i hv reached the legit age(which is 18 in my place)but i dun drink plus dun see therell be any chance of me picking up the habit.its jus tht i dun like the taste of it and its high in calories(lol).its not like i totally refuse to drink for getting relaxed and fun but sue me i prefer working out instead.lol
I agree, I have noticed so many girls drinking more and more. Now I may not be one to talk because I used to be one of those girls who could out drink the guys and honestly, I am not proud of it. At the time I thought it was fun and I loved a good party to get wild and crazy at; thankful I was never one of the girls who had to use the excuse "I was drunk that’s why I slept with him". Now that I am out of that scene I feel so much better about myself. I am not saying I don't drink or go to parties anymore, but I sure do pace myself and I am not the loudest one at the party. But posting pictures of you and your friends drinking every weekend? Come on. You are just putting out a message saying, "Look at me". So please girls, if you don't want to be known for being the drunkest girl at the party who made a fool of herself, slow down with the drinking. Also I think it is pretty pathetic to say that you were so bored so you decided to get drunk. That is basically like saying you are depressed, and it sounds like a cry for help to me.
I just wrote a blog titled "the club". I talk about how anyone can go out more the twice a month to get drunk. I hear the same responses, but I also see action. And action doest not lie. Many girls drink as well as guys because they feel they have freedom. This especially goes to people who are not experience with alchol before 21. With women its a way to forget their problems, "enjoy" there new freedom, and make them selves feel like independent woman. It's funny because when I do go to the club, the last woman I would be in a relationship is a clubber/bar hopper. The world is full of more fun and meaningful activities, then going to a dark club/bar and taking pics of your self wasted and bragging about it. I am all up for going to dance and having a couple of drinks to have fun and relax, but just like everything else, too much of one thig is bad for you. I respect a woman who stick to her belies, a woman who does combat sports, a woman who defies the rules of man, I don't respect a woman who dresses like a slut and gets drunk for attention, I pitty her.
Bluekiller I agree with you. For girls its an excuse to do what they want without the shame of guilt. Boy how many times at a club have I been asked for marijuana from drunk girls lol. Like I said its sad because life is full of better activites, but you can't change peopel that up to them, all one can do is live their lives.
Everyone can have fun without alcohol. What if someone take pictures of you doing stupid things and post it on a networking website? These are the reasons why I think people drink alcohol. 1. To loosen up. 2. They're not allow to drink alcohol at home. 3. Trying to fit in. 4. "to have fun".
I don't drink a lot of alcohol because I'm worried about my health. I'm worried about my kidneys. hahaha!
COLLEGE.
They'll grow out of it.
People also tend to drink more in times that are not so great economically.
"and suddenly more guys started having more sex"
so many drunks...
all over campus.
its not just drinking though. so much puke. so many condoms. so many blunts...
did i mention i go to a catholic college?
That's nothing new to me, actually. Maybe you just hadn't seen much of it before.
I don't think it's a cry for help. I think people go through stages. I used to drink a lot, now I go out maybe once every other month.
if this is a growing trend, it's one that's been going on for a LONG time coming now! personally, i know my limits but many times consume more alcohol to help out lightweight friends who can't handle as much...including males!! Lol