Random Post 1: Normalizing Alchoholism
First, let me be clear. I am not arguing that we should normalize alcoholism in any way. I kind of think that we already have. In college, especially at a social school like USC, alcohol use and substance use in general is normalized. There is a culture of binge drinking that a majority of college kids take part in. Going out Wednesday (or Thursday) through Saturday is totally acceptable. But what happens when you all of a sudden graduate college? Can we just flip a switch and have a normal relationship with alcohol? That might be harder to do than we think.
Binge drinking is considered to be 5 or more drinks on one occasion or more than 14 drinks in a week. As a college kid, I read that and was shocked. Normal-world drinking norms are so different than what we consider acceptable in college. College creates a culture where you take 5 (or sometimes even 8 or 9) shots just at the pregame before you get to the party or bar where you drink even more. Kids are so stressed and busy during the week that they rely on going out and "blacking out" to relieve stress and have fun. I'm not saying that we shouldn't go out ever. My point is that there is a lack of other coping mechanisms and hobbies to fill the time and relieve stress. This creates an issue when you graduate college. For four years, you spend your time drinking heavily and going out. When you graduate will you be able to immediately transition to a more normal and healthier relationship with alcohol?
I fear that this sets up young people to develop an unhealthy relationship with alcohol that carries on far beyond college. Heavy drinking becomes such a habit during your college years. What effect will this have on our physical and mental health? Transitioning from the academic to the professional world is hard enough on its own. Add in the factor of alcohol dependency and use and it just becomes that much harder.
I still have a year and a half left of college so I feel like I cannot finish this post. I don't know the answers to many of the questions that I have asked. I don't know how my transition will go from college to the professional world. However, I recognize the dangers and difficulties of alcohol use during school. I believe these difficulties are not discussed openly or prepared for. Open and honest conversations about this trend could help college kids manage their relationship with alcohol in the present as well as ten years down the line.
I've read a similar article talking about alcoholism in college before and now reading yours, I definitely agree that alcohol is too normalized in our environment. As someone who doesn't really enjoy drinking nor partake in it often, it sometimes saddens me to see how most college students' perception of "having fun" relies on getting drunk every weekend. I definitely think this needs to be analyzed more!
ReplyDeleteAriya,
ReplyDeleteI really liked this topic you picked for your random post, since it really applies to so many college students across America specifically. It is hard for so many people to become accustomed to a culture for 4 years of life and then suddenly be expected to snap out of it and behave in a completely different way, especially when there are chemical impacts in the brain that hinder them to do so!
I think college creates an environment that encourages people to drink to have fun, but it is not realistic to drink more than 14 drinks in a week once you're out of college. I have noticed the older I am, the less alcohol I drink, but I'm not the type of person that enjoys blacking out. Overall, I enjoyed your post and how honest you were.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you, bad relationships with substances definitely do not magically disappear. It can be hard for people to become 'healthier' and leave behind drinking, especially when it is associated with social environments. I think learning a sport, or joining some type of community can help to transition from a college night, to a night in your mid to late twenties,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that college creates an environment that encourages greater drinking than a life out of college. This can lead to some serious issues with alcohol. Personally though, I have a strange relationship with college and drinking. I am allergic to alcohol so I get pretty messed up after just a little bit, so I can't even fathom the idea of taking 5-6 shots for a pregame even though that might be normal.
ReplyDeleteAriya, I love that you wrote your post on this subject because I was really interested in it too. I think its something that goes unaddressed because everyone is expected to "jump" out of their college drinking habits and to assimilate to normal drinking habits after 4 years of this "normal". I think you open a bigger conversation of how to combat this normality of drinking an absurd amount to have fun and how detrimental this can be to many people's physical and mental health. I also loved how you articulated this issue!
ReplyDeleteThis is a super interesting topic that I think almost all USC students can relate to in some way. I'm glad that not just you, but others are bringing more awareness to this. I'm all for having a good time but there's so many other ways that we can enjoy our weekends!
ReplyDeleteI really like that you wrote about this topic. This is something most of us can either personally relate to or can say we've seen in others, yet it is rarely talked about. I absolutely agree that college culture perpetuates unhealthy habits when it comes to drinking, and I have seen it negatively affect people close to me. I am glad that you are starting to ask these questions and can inspire others to ask them too!
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