Chug, Chug, Chug: Our Culture of Binge Drinking

Once upon a time, when Generation Y was barely weaned, we were told to “not worry about anything else, just have fun.”

Years later, that seemingly harmless dictum has returned to bite our parents in the ass (and for the unlucky ones, the checkbook).

As 10-year-olds, sports were a time for fun competition for us. Sure, winning was cool, but our parents were really concerned about us “having fun.”

A few years later, we discovered alcohol. Lots of it.

And then we discovered that while it was fun, drinking it in large quantities was even more fun.

And playing those super-fun sports we played as kids while drinking alcohol was the pinnacle of fun.

So we decided to hold day-long drinkathons, such as Beerlympics, to celebrate the fun of the competition.

After all, we were just “having fun.” Right, mom?

You know the drill: it’s a balmy 80 degrees, sunny, and you just woke up to a house overflowing with red Solo cups and randos passed out all around. Cleaning isn’t an option, so you and your friends go get some cases of Natty Light and challenge whoever is awake to a friendly competition of Beer Pong. The day goes on, more people wake up or show up, and more games start.

Next thing you know, it’s 4 p.m., and your pasta strainer is the first place trophy for Beer Die. Once again, it’s not about winning, it’s about fun.

The popular movie Beerfest was released the summer before my senior year of high school, and it was the greatest thing ever. Naturally, we divided everyone up into “national teams” and tried to drink the crap out of the other countries, ala the movie. It was a lot like the World Cup, but even the athletes were hammered, not just the fans. In the end, we cheered and sang “Sweet Caroline,” the winners got pride and bragging rights, and everyone was happy, because everyone had fun.

Why do we do this? Who knows. I’m not blaming our parents as much as I am the culture in which we were raised, constantly surrounded by the glorification of booze, and the society in which we now live, one that celebrates recreational drinking.

And recreational drinking in young people leads to binge drinking - officially, five or more drinks in one sitting. (For those who’ve never played, one game of Beer Pong is equal to about four drinks.) Drinking games are prevalent at universities throughout the country, with 42 % of college students reporting binge drinking, and two out of every five students reporting that they drank more than twice a week.

For better, worse or alcoholic, Generation Y is more like Generation Y-the-hell-would-I-not-take-another-shot?

These activities are glorified. If you can start drinking at 9 a.m. and not stop until 3 a.m., you’re a freaking hero. If you can rally off ten Beer Pong wins, kill some Louisville Chugger (aka Dizzy Bat), and lead your team to consecutive victories in Flip Cup, you might as well be Jesus Christ of Nazarwasted.

But, hey, it’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye – or whatever’s left in their stomach.

Photo by SVTHERLAND