Why is drinking such a huge part of the "college experience"?

I'm a sophomore at a four-year university and I can't believe that it is such an important part of people's lives. I don't drink, but I swear it seems like 95% of the people here do. It's easy to feel left out when you don't participate in those kind of things.





I look around at everyone's Facebooks and nearly every other picture has someone with an alcoholic beverage in their hand, or two drunk girls kissing each other while holding cups of beer, etc...





Whatever happened to popcorn and a movie? A fun board game? Whatever happened to good, CLEAN fun? Why does it always have to be about sex, drugs, and drinking?





Can't people have fun without that stuff, at least once in a while?





I don't like going to any of the parties around here, because they're all about beer kegs and revealing clothing and usually end up with fighting or some kind of controversy.





:(

Why is drinking such a huge part of the "college experience"?
I'm a junior at college, and I completely agree with you! I think it's a horrible waste of time and money and too frequently leads to awkward/hurtful situations. I also think it is ridiculous when people use being drunk as an excuse for otherwise unacceptable behavior. If you can't handle it in an appropriate manner, you shouldn't be drinking!


I think many people do it because it's a way to unwind after working hard all week, and then everybody else does it because it's a way to socialize. I personally think that going to a movie or hanging out with friends (without drinking) is much more fun, and doesn't give you a pounding headache in the morning.


The sad thing is, many of these people are setting themselves up for drinking problems later in life.
Reply:Its the forbidden fruit. You have been told all through your formative years that you cannot/shold not drink. Then you get to college and voila! you can get it - legally or not is not the point. You can, and for most folks the simple fact that they can leads to - they do.





You can try to wax philosophic on the topic but I stand firm in the belief that its simply that once in college - you can...
Reply:a lot of these kids are experiencing life away from home for the first time meaning they have no curfew, no rules etc.... This kind of freedom suddenly thrust upon people of this age group is almost too much for some to handle. Many think it's cool to get drunk, sleep around, and other not very worth while activities. They're showing how grown up they are.





When I was in college you could always tell the ones who hadn't had much freedom at home. They were the ones who went overboard on the partying. Some had to go to the emergency room for alcohol poisoning, got arrested for public drunkenness, DWI, and a few died.





I wish I knew the answer. All I can say to these kids is that the alcohol will still be there next year or 10 years from now don't try and drink it all asap. Also to think about the future and who might see these pictures and judge them for their actions. Parents, their own children, future employers, if they go into some kind of visibly public job etc...

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