Why does Everyone want to get Drunk?

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>Ok...I just need a little help understanding this. It seems that every single person who is about to enter college, just wants to drink. "What about the parties?" "Any good bars nearby?" "Is the campus dry?"</p>

<p>I just don't understand it!</p>

<p>Is it truly possible that 95% of the people I encounter in college will be that trashy? I mean, it's so pathetic. As soon as I post this, most of you will begin with "Stop living a sheltered life-style..blah blah blah."</p>

<p>Ok..sheltered? I'm sorry if I'm not just another lemming. Another idiot who just follows the crowd and drinks because, hey, that's what everyone else is doing. Who cares if I hit and kill a family of four on the way home! Who cares if I trash my liver! It's all worth it because I got to drink beer! </p>

<p>So...I just want to open this discussion to everyone. Just tell me, why is it that you think getting drunk is so amazing? Why do you enjoy doing what everyone else does, even at the cost of injuring or killing yourself or others?</p>

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<p>I generally don't drink while at school, but people do it because it's fun and sometimes they don't know what else to do at school to enjoy themselves.
A lot depends on where you go, though. In my experience, few people do much drinking and if they do, they won't do it much -- but I am at a truly dry campus. Your experience is likely to be different at a state university.</p>

<p>Of course... it's also possible that a lot of the posters here are trying to sound cool and/or more "mature" than they are by implying they can drink as much as they want, so they want to go to a school where both academics <em>and</em> partying are big!</p>

3

<p>
[quote]
Another idiot who just follows the crowd and drinks because, hey, that's what everyone else is doing. Who cares if I hit and kill a family of four on the way home! Who cares if I trash my liver! It's all worth it because I got to drink beer!

[/quote]

Sweeping generalizations hehe. I personally don't drink at all, but most folks do in moderation and no one I know has driven drunk. People just aren't going to appreciate you judging them, just as you won't appreciate it when they judge you for <em>not</em> drinking. Live and let live. I agree with apumic's comment that "few people do much drinking", most people do responsibly. </p>

<p>You just sound sheltered, because you are assuming everyone is a raging alcoholic and drives drunk all the time. This is certainly not the case.</p>

<p>Judging from my friends' experience at schools it also depends on the rigors of the academics. At my school <em>most</em> people go out a few times a week, probably 1-2 maybe 3. At my friends' schools (larger state schools) they say people go out every night.</p>

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<p>Wilmingtonwave, I am not judging anyone, because I am not saying that EVERYONE that drinks is one of those people. I am sure there are people that drink in moderation and are just fine. The part you quoted was simply me stating the extreme.</p>

<p>However, I am saying why drink at all? I just want to know what the point is, even in moderation.</p>

5

<p>Drink to make more money.
<a href="http://www.reason.org/news/alcohol_use_091406.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.reason.org/news/alcohol_use_091406.shtml&lt;/a>
I don't know how credible the source is, but google the subject and you can find a lot of similar reports. </p>

<p>I thought I would be like you in university - I never drank in high school. I'm not. I am really opposed to drinking "just to get drunk", but doing it socially, when you're with friends out somewhere or especially out dancing, isn't the end of the world. Probably makes me a better dancer anways lol.</p>

6

<p>
[quote]
Drink to make more money.
<a href="http://www.reason.org/news/alcohol_use_091406.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.reason.org/news/alcohol_use_091406.shtml&lt;/a>
I don't know how credible the source is, but google the subject and you can find a lot of similar reports.

[/quote]

I don't think this is correct, people who frequent bars are more social generally and are networking while at bars. Could this be the reason for this?</p>

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<p>cowgirlatheart, there is correlation, and then there is causation. big diff</p>

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<p>I think this is a cultural thing, to some extent. There's a sizeable portion of society that drinks to get drunk. White guys.</p>

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<p>But it isn't required. Your friends won't care if you don't drink, even socially, will they? </p>

<p>And in response to that article, it is very circumstantial. </p>

<p>A - A teacher, doctor, fireman, postal worker, ect. will not make any more money by drinking. It only applies to jobs that rely on clients, such as advertising. </p>

<p>B - Or maybe, it's only the ones who DO make a little more money that go out dirnking, because they have more money to waste. </p>

<p>That article is definately flawed, and there is no way to prove that everyone who drinks will earn more money. And you even said you thought you would be like me when you started college, but ended up doing it. That's my point exactly. Does EVERYONE drink!?</p>

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<p>And jaso9n2, don't make this some racial battle. I'm white as well. How would you feel (assuming you're black, you may not be) if I said "And there is a portion of soceity that rob people for the sake of robbing. Black guys."</p>

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<p>The article was to provoke discussion. Sibelius, I know that correlation =/= causation, and so should the Econ Ph.Ds who wrote the study in the article. What I was trying to point out was that people drink because it's an accepted form of social activity, and can lead to networking, etc. It could very well work the other way around, or, as I am more inclined to think, both ways.</p>

<p>You have more money than average</p>

<br>


<br>

<p>Of course not everyone will benefit, but this is why studies and assumptions can never fully apply in the real world - there are always exceptions. </p>

<p>soccerguy - No, everyone doesn't drink. A lot of people do. Why? Any number of reasons... Their friends do it, they want to fit in, they like the taste, it's good for their health (red wine, etc. and obviously not in excess), rebellion, they finally can (ie. turning 18, 19, 21 depending on where you live), curiosity, culture (europeans, for example), etc. What may be a perfectly valid reason to somebody else might not convince you, and may never do so. In my case, I was curious. My parents were pretty strict, and I was a way from home for the first time. Instead of asking why drink, I thought, why not? Ask yourself - why not, in moderation? You might not want to for an equally long list of reasons - you don't want to "be like everyone else", you think it's unhealthy, unsafe, etc. Find a reason on either side that works for you, and go with it. It's college. If you can't experiment here (with any viewpoint), where else is better?</p>

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<p>I don't know if I've read that particular study right there, but there are many others like it. It's called SOCIAL CAPITAL, and while there are varying definitions of it depending on which field you're in, the general idea is that there are a number of factors which affect the relationships you have. You can say that understanding social norms and expectations is a form of social capital (There's a great book by Annette Lareau called Unequal Childhoods that looks at the differences in child raising in different socioeconomic classes and explores the implications. The book talks a lot about social capital), but you can also quantify social capital in terms of contacts with a variety of individuals (networking). You can also "earn" social capital by essentially being social - dealing with individuals on a day to day basis in varied social settings (work, school, organization meeting, out at a bar, etc) can enhance one's ability to, for lack of a better term, make people like you.</p>

<p>There are numerous, numerous studies showing a high degree of correlation between success and high levels of social capital. I mean, to such a degree that it's pretty much considered a fact. Even for professions that aren't "client based" having a lot of social capital makes it easier to get jobs, have higher evaluations, more likely to be promoted, and better positioned to find new opportunities. </p>

<p>This has strayed from the original poster's question, and I don't think most people are going out to bars with the express intent of "making more money". </p>

<p>Most people drink because it's a social lubricant, they have more fun, feel euphoric, and so on. I mean last night I went out to the bars and then to afterhours until 4am...why would I do that if booze wasn't involved?</p>

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<p>Maybe because its fun? I'll be honest, some of my fondest memories of college will certainly be when me and a group of friends went out and got hammered, stupid stuff happens and hilarious stories ensue. The marginal downside of "destroying" your liver doesn't compare to the fun that you are having in my mind.</p>

14

<p>
[quote]
I thought I would be like you in university - I never drank in high school. I'm not. I am really opposed to drinking "just to get drunk", but doing it socially, when you're with friends out somewhere or especially out dancing, isn't the end of the world. Probably makes me a better dancer anways lol.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>My thoughts exactly. I never drank in high school. I'm not a drunk college kid now. Some of my friends go out Thursday night through Saturday night, if I go out it's a Friday or Saturday night. And I've never drank just to get drunk. My friends do most of the time, but not everyone. 100% of the time when we drive, my friends will go out and I'll either A) Go and not drink so I can drive, or B) Take them where they're going, go back to my dorm, and then pick them up when they call. Most of the time they don't even get crazy drunk, we drink 'socially.' No beer bongs or keg stands. I agree with the person who said beer tastes like carbonated urine. But other alcohol tastes good. BTW, studies show that 1-3 drinks of alcohol a day is good for the heart. That's not recommending you go out and get smashed, but in moderation alcohol isn't too bad for you.</p>

<p>Sadly, there was a student at my campus who was very drunk last weekend and was reported missing, and was found drowned Tuesday in the campus lake. They're still piecing information together about if there was foul play or not, but there's no reason to think alcohol didn't have a factor. Next weekend will show if people have learned anything from it. Not this weekend, because most people went home for Easter.</p>

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<p>Drinking occasionally doesnt give you liver failure. Maybe every day for years and years. I remember at one point in time the oldest man alive (100-something) claimed his secret was drinking red wine every night. </p>

<p>I remember back when I was a scared little boy in highschool and even after for a little while... and used the same "sheep/lemming" excuse. Along with the others about drunk driving. Fast forward seven years and after much drinking experience I can say I have totally negated those views. There are reasons people like to drink. </p>

<h1>1 The effect is fun.</h1>

<h1>2 The socializing is fun.</h1>

<h1>3 Guinness tastes amazing :) (not anything like urine, they must have had Natural Light or something! AMATEURS.)</h1>

<p>You just need to have some brains and try not to do anything TOO stupid.</p>

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<p>Okay here are some reasons that I use:</p>

<p>I like the taste of beer. It is tasty and I like to drink it.
I enjoy stupid movies with 'splosions a lot more, so I go to them drunk
I use it to relax, honestly there's nothing to take you mind off of a bad day than a few drinks
I'm more social, I have fun doing it, it doesn't interfere with my life, etc.</p>

<p>All valid reasons. Could I live without it? Yeah, I don't drink while I'm at home, so during the summer I stay sober for about three months straight without a problem. Can I have fun without it? Yeah, and I do often. But I can have fun doing it too, so why not? Because I'll trash my liver? For me living a life in that way is just not how I do things, it's a personal choice that you have no business in questioning.</p>

<p>And don't call people lemmings because they drink in college. When you do that you put yourself on a pedestal, you're saying you're better for being "non-conforming" and not drinking, when in reality drinking and not drinking in college is just a personal choice.</p>

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<p>I'm dissapointed..I basically got the answer I assumed I would: that human beings are simply pleasure seekers. "It feels good" "It's fun" It seems most people just live for the moment, they want instant gratification, and they can do that through alchohol. Thanks everyone for posting your reasons.</p>

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<p>...and you were expecting to find some deep insightful views on the human condition!?! </p>

<p>I don't get it. You come looking for reasons, people give them to you and you're "disappointed".</p>

<p>I mean, as stated by Modern Drunkard Magaizine, "Let's face it: Modern life is a **** storm and booze is the only umbrella without any holes in it."</p>

<p><a href="http://drunkard.com/issues/03_06/0306_40_reasons.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://drunkard.com/issues/03_06/0306_40_reasons.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Geez, not another one of these dumb threads.</p>

<p>Soccer guy, why do you watch TV, read books, or play sports? Is it not for pleasure seeking? Don't even try to pretend that you don't do things simply b/c they give you pleasure, b/c then you'd be lieing.</p>

<p>BTW, "pleasure seeking" is only a part of most humans' lifes.</p>

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<p>Drank a lot in high school, less now in college. The appeal is much less once you've done it alot, at least for some.
People drink a lot because life is pretty boring for most of them. What's the future? Get the degree, probably get married and have kids. Work a job. Get up, to go work, go home, go to bed. Since the rest of your life will be dull college is your only time you can socially acceptable to drink so much and act stupid. Alcohol is an easy and quick way to escape the doldrums of the rest of your lives.</p>