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Opinion

Enjoying alcohol doesn't make you an alcoholic

Austin Havican
Opinion Columnist 

A little more than halfway through their college education in the U.S., most students turn 21. It is an age that is instantly recognizable as a necessary and long-awaited permission slip to drink alcohol, legally. Although many young people have their first taste of the Devil's juice long before that, newcomers suddenly find themselves part of a vast, elite culture of beverage enthusiasts.

A plastic identification card opens a new world at their fingertips: breweries, bar lingo, beer pong, glassware collecting, memorizing liquor store's hours and how to tap a keg.

There seem to be two specific opinions on alcohol and drinking as an activity; those in favor of binge drinking and irresponsibly "drinking to get drunk," and those who swear off drinking and condemn everyone as an alcoholic. Unfortunately, neither camp is clearheaded enough to agree on a happy medium.

Most college students probably fall into the former group and spend too much of their time drinking cheap beer and improving their keg stand. The only point of drinking in this mindset is to get inebriated, then work up enough courage or abandon to do something stupid. This type of drinker probably goes to bars and clubs to be noisy and out of control, or to let loose. If someone genuinely enjoys slurring their words and vomiting on themselves, then buying a 12 pack for one night to split between two people makes sense.

The latter group avoids all things alcoholic and even shuns drinkers, no matter how moderate their habits are. "Straight Edge" is the first openly anti-alcohol group that comes to mind, but many religious and socioeconomic organizations also preach against the baseness of drinking.

But there is that happy medium. There are people who have a glass of wine before taking a bath to help them unwind. There are people who find interest and curiosity in the fact that more than 30 different pieces of glassware have been invented to hold and enjoy liquid, each with endless variations in style and occasion. There are people who go home and make themselves a whiskey and Coke, alone, to enjoy while they do their homework or check the news. There are also people who find absolutely no link between alcoholism and having a beer everyday, because he or she is interested in the different breweries and types available.

Because responsibility, reaction time, memory and sound judgment can all be negatively affected by the consumption of alcohol, the substance and its enjoyment carry an immediate, negative stigma. Alcohol can lead to embarrassment, accidents, and death, but that's only when used incorrectly.

Drinking can be an engaging activity on its own, and enjoyed by oneself or with others without making a game out of it or trying to prove anything by drinking too much. College students should realize that educating themselves on the various types of port or flavors of rum can act as excellent scaffolding for social networking and fascinating conversation, but that doesn't require polishing off an entire bottle. Thrifty bar-goers advise buying only one drink at the bar, during happy hour (if possible), just to have something to occupy your hands and mouth while carrying on a conversation or a first date.

This article isn't trying to justify college drinking in any way, but instead recommend to people who do drink to do so responsibly, and for good reasons. Drinking beer to get drunk is not only unintelligent and dangerous, but it causes weight gain and financial loss. Taking body shots from a girl you've never met may seem cool when you're drunk, but it really is pretty pointless (unless you're desperate for the attention), and once sober, embarrassing. However, if you're the type of person who enjoys learning how to mix cocktails and what sorts of liqueurs make good dessert drinks, don't let social pressures or accusations of alcoholism curb your hobby.

Havican, an English senior, 
can be reached at holemoles@gmail.com.