When we reviewed the video from my DUI arrest the primary concern my lawyer had was that I’d blown too high to be functioning as well as I was. He told me this would be a behavioral red flag in my case – an indication that I was a heavy, regular drinker. He said most women with a BAC as high as mine would be passed out. Who me? Beer Pong player-extraordinaire, Jamaican breakfast-beer-chugging-victor Spring Break 2000, sleep-where-you-fall Scotland summer 2001? Nope, not me. I’m a blackout drunk, which means that though my mental and physical state are impaired I am able to continue drinking. And drinking. And drinking.
It takes a conscious effort on my part to drink in moderation. And I wonder…should I be surprised? In a culture where we have drawn a line of drinking reason at a person’s age rather than a person’s behavior there is little incentive to slow down and moderate. I read an article this week about a binge drinking study in the UK and immediately thought of college. Pre-game. That was our word for it. Society said tisk tisk, you’re too young to drink – so we drank before we went out into the world. And we knew we weren’t likely to be served some places, too…so we drank even more in the pre-game so the buzz would carry through to the finale. The problem was, sometimes we couldn’t remember the game or we passed out before we could even get there.
A while back I read an article on college drinking policies. The article listed university chancellors who supported a revision to the current drinking age. I was pleased to see my once-chancellor Gordon Gee on that list. I always knew that man was smart. Would that our society would arm our children with the knowledge and tools for moderation instead of pumping them full of guilt and shame…it might make for more moderate adults!
Here’s the study on binge drinking. What do you take from it?
Study reveals extent of binge-drink culture
On a personal note: I went on my first girls’ trip since college last weekend. Coming away from it, one of the things (besides the food!) that pleased me most was the relative (let’s be honest) moderation I exercised in drinking. It’s so nice not only to remember the laughter but also to remember the jokes!
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