ARIN FROIDL | Reporter

Far too often this past year, my friends have come to me bragging about drinking a whole bottle of vodka the night before or almost an entire bottle of Jack Daniel’s. They keep the bottles, like souvenirs of war, and display them proudly in their dorm rooms. They tell me about how they’ve gone through a whole case of beer this week alone, and it’s only Wednesday.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Thirsty Thursday is a heavily well-respected holiday in the college community, and it must be upheld to the fullest.[/perfectpullquote]

I have friends who intentionally drink enough to black out and friends that have gone to the hospital for alcohol poisoning.

You would think that being in a coma for a few days would encourage smarter drinking habits, but Thirsty Thursday is a heavily well-respected holiday in the college community, and it must be upheld to the fullest.

My question for these kinds of drinkers is why are alcoholic tendencies a point of pride for you? Yes, alcoholic tendencies. Binge drinking is classified as a sign of alcoholism and consuming more than five drinks in a two-hour period is going on a “binge.”

Obviously, binge drinking every now and then, while not great for your health, isn’t a sign of alcoholism. However, if you’re able to consume an entire bottle of whiskey in one sitting, you might have a problem. I mean, look at the guy who chugged a whole bottle of Jack Daniel’s; health experts say he’s lucky to be alive.

Excessive alcohol consumption is a huge problem in our society, especially with college students, and it’s not going anywhere because we idolize heavy drinkers. We need to reverse this belief that drinking a lot is the best way to drink.

The only way we can do this is to look to ourselves. Ask yourself, “Do I have healthy drinking habits?” and if the answer is no, change it.