Diary of a Gen Z Student: Seeing excessive drinking is a sobering experience

But someone’s always got an older cousin willing to supply the 13-year-olds with alcohol. 

Or you figure out whose parents are most laid-back about drinking.

It’s sort of intriguing at first, because you’re certain this is how you’ll have a good time. 

Since coming to college, I’ve seen how our culture of excessive drinking is carried onto our campuses.

But the notion that drinking is how we have fun isn’t so glamorous in practice.

Of course, going out and drinking is a normal part of the college experience. The college bar is where our socialising happens. 

It’s where we make friends outside of our course. It’s where we have post-lecture pints. Many fledgling relationships are set alight on those sticky floors.

So, it’s all wholesome. Until it’s not.

Because if you’re only having a drink or two, you’re no craic. But it’s no wonder people get carried away. It can seem like you have to be a drink ahead of the rest, if you want to be the life of the party. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love a night out as much as anyone. But if you’ve been around enough college students drinking, you’ll know what I mean when I say that our attitude towards alcohol is far from healthy.

You’ll hear everyone spinning the narrative that we’re young and just having fun. We’re supposed to let loose. Sure, you’re only 20 once.

The excessive drinking most nights of the week is what college is all about. 

In many ways, I agree. It is a unique time in your life where your responsibilities are few. 

Secondary school is so structured; it’s great to experience the breathing room that college gives you. 

Skipping a few lectures the day after a night out is no big deal. I have spent my share of 9am lectures sleeping off a pounding head.

But the problem isn’t really the missed classes. It’s that I’ve never been on a night out where someone hasn’t had to be brought home early in a taxi, because they didn’t pace their drinks. 

There’s almost always someone that never makes it out of the house after pre-drinks, because it would be unsafe for them to go out. 

And there’s no way a bouncer would let them into a nightclub in the first place. 

Everyone laughs about it and shrugs it off in the moment. Because we’re all so certain that this kind of thing is totally fine during college.

I actually find it a bit dull sometimes. It feels like every social interaction has to revolve around alcohol. 

I know this isn’t exclusive to college, but it is where a lot of people form the habit of needing to drink to be around groups of people. 

If we’re seeing our friends, drink will always be central. And it’s rarely just one or two.

I totally get it. Particularly when you’re first getting to know people, alcohol bridges the gap of awkwardness that you might feel. 

And when you’re in college, everything’s new, you’re talking to people you’ve never met, you’re out of your comfort zone. 

It’s easy to use alcohol to smoothen everything out. It's all in the name of fun. 

But a room of people that need a drink before they can relax isn’t actually all that fun. 

Neither is putting your friend to bed because they aren’t fit to get themselves home safely.

This doesn’t happen in a void. Very early on we all pick up on the message that alcohol is the ticket to fun.

We have a clear idea of what is a healthy relationship with alcohol looks like, once you’re out of college and working full time. 

But why does that only come in once we’ve gotten our undergrad degree?

Selling young people on the idea that we’re supposed to be drinking heavily most nights of the week, in order to be doing college ‘right’, puts people under pressure to drink before they can enjoy themselves. 

The conflation of drunkenness and fun ruins the college experience for so many people. 

They either think they’re doing college wrong, or they that they have to keep up with the drinking habits of other people. 

Neither is a pleasant place to be. And neither is true.