Jaraya Johnson
College Writing l
Professor Alice Cone
November 20, 2012

Why do we drink?
Alcohol is a substance that has very serious and dangerous effects on one’s body as well as the brain. These effects are both positive and negative. However, alcohol not only kills a person’s brain cells, but when taken in excess has absolutely no beneficial effects. Of course alcohol can make the person consuming it forget his or her problems, but the consequences of over drinking outweigh its limited benefits by far. Drinking and getting drunk are not a crime, as such; however, if its consumption is taken too far, alcohol will almost always cause one to conduct himself in ways that he would never normally behave. For instance, a man who is sober would typically not drive ninety-five mph down the interstate; however, after consuming a good bit of alcohol, his eyesight, judgment, reflexes and abilities are hindered to the point that he may feel indestructible. It’s Sunday morning and I’m sitting in the lounge, the topic of everyone’s conversation is the two days prior. Everyone is sitting around explaining how drunk they were Friday and Saturday nights and all of the uncontrollable mishaps that aren’t too well remembered this following day. One guy tells his friend, “Man, I was so wasted last night, I must have drank like ten beers and like half a bottle of vodka,” smiling in excitement, hoping to do it again the next weekend. Being new in college, and noticing that this happens after almost every weekend, I’ve begun to wonder: why do we brag about ourselves and praise others for accomplishing a task that requires absolutely no skill? In short, why do we drink?
I feel that some people drink in order to knock down or at least lower the wall of insecurities they have built up inside them, even for just an instant. People use alcohol as a way to gain courage, and it rids them of their anxieties about themselves. You see this everywhere a guy has a few drinks in him and feels as though he can have any girl in the entire bar. A girl quietly sitting in the corner at a party, has a few drinks and becomes a wild, crazy dancing machine. People are willing to accept this ‘liquid courage’ because it gives them the ability to be someone new.
In addition to allowing people to create these alter-egos, alcohol is also frequently used to wipe out a bad memory or experience. After being fired from a job or attempting to deal with the loss of a loved one, many people try to “drink away their problems.” For example, a widowed man sits miserably in a virtually empty bar on a Monday afternoon; he’s been there since opening and probably will be sitting in that same spot once closing rolls around. He takes shot after shot, and instructs the bartender to continue to fill his cup to the brim with whiskey. About three weeks ago this drunken lonely man was not only a wonderful husband but he was an adoring father as well. His wife and daughter were killed in a car crash, and his whole world was ripped from under his feet. He now uses alcohol to numb his pain, in an attempt to repair his broken heart. He stumbles home every night and wakes up just as miserable as the morning before. Alcohol is his escape, an outlet from his hurt. This type of self-medication is common. People use alcohol to take away memories that are no longer desirable, as well as give people the courage to do things they would shy away from otherwise. Alcohol is a strong drug with even more powerful effects.
So, I have talked about alcohol as way to give courage and take away pain. Well, what about the other alcohol consumers who drink solely for entertainment and social purposes? Social influence is a huge contributor as to why people engage in the consumption of alcohol. As young adults we are surrounded by images that encourage alcohol use. We see attractive individuals in television advertisements, as well, as going to a restaurant seeing colorful signs displaying the daily drink specials. One of the best parts about watching the Superbowl is the commercials; most of them are for beer. Media have strong influence on how we think and how we act. While watching a beer commercial isn’t going to make anyone start drinking, it does create social influence on the way that our society accepts the consumption of alcohol.
College students are great examples in talking about social influence. Most college students drink to have a good time. Yes, some may argue that they are stressed or overworked due to studies, but this is not always the case. Many college students engage in social and binge drinking during parties and social gatherings in order to not go against the social norms. Social pressure is one of the most common reasons young people drink. Many of us have taken that first drink due to some sort of social pressure. Whether it was at a friend’s house during a small gathering, or at their first underage party, college students in particular are extremely susceptible to social pressure. Aside from classes and studying the favorite pastime of most college students is partying. From Thursday to Sunday all of the best parties are thrown, and the most alcohol is consumed. It’s almost impossible not to party during the years spent in college and with those parties comes the drinking, which is also very hard to get around. People are handing you drinks and you are accepting them because being the only sober one within a group of belligerent idiots isn’t the most fun, and besides no one ever wants to seem like the ‘negative Nancy’ or the ‘Debby downer.’ So, you may not like drinking, you may despise the taste of alcohol, but you do it because the social situation that is thrust upon you forces you to take a drink or two.
In conclusion, we, as a society, need to look at and reevaluate the reasons we drink. As you can see, they are a few major causes, but even those don’t seem real prodigious. Yes, alcohol has the ability to make us feel different in particular situations, and can help to numb ache. The media do indeed have a way of making drinking look cool, and I am in no way asking anyone to be the oddball out in his particular social situation, but people should not let themselves to get to the point of no return. In other words, we should not get so drunk that we lose focus and begin to settle into a state of unconsciousness. We should drink with maturity. As, I stated before, it is not a crime to drink or even to get drunk, it comes with a level of responsibility and the actions taken once alcohol is consumed could be the cause of trouble. So next time you decide to take that next drink, really think about the reason.