My Love/Hate Relationship with Alcohol

LUKE KELEHER explores the tempestuous romance between students and the bottle…

12 years ago

abuse alcohol booze freshers keleher luke

For many years now, I have counted a cheap bottle of vodka among my closest friends and as an essential companion for any night out or social occasion.

Even in the midst of my devotion I still ask myself… why is it so appealing? The confidence? The loss of inhibition? The feeling of indestructibility? While all of the above have led to me into becoming a far too frequent drinker, it is the drawbacks of the demon drink which have started to materialize for me now more than ever- especially as a fresher.

On too many nights we can been found face down on the toilet floor, or spending the next day in a lecture or seminar promising to a variety of Gods; “Never Again.” With the revolting hangovers and complete lack of dignity which are a common occurrence for the ‘binge-drink generation’, I have come to wonder why we, and I include myself here, constantly repeat the same mistakes.

So why do we do it? Well the first of many possible explanations is the fact that University is the first taste of freedom for many students. A freedom they plan to make the most of, until they can be found in a greasy kebab shop at 4am, throwing up those jaegerbombs into their doner meat and cheesy chips. Another possible reason is the entrenched drinking culture cultivated, and taken advantage of, by bars and clubs. With cheap drink deals and pre-drinks, shots and drinking games, it takes very little time for that wall-flower to evolve into the inebriated girl dancing on the tables, who just can’t seem to keep her clothes on.

Another often key experience for the young drinker is the one night stand. What starts out as a romantic evening full of promise, culminates in an uncomfortable 10 minute messy drunken fumble, resulting only in regret and embarrassment. It is an interesting sight to see the amount of girls walking home the morning after, in their clothes from the night before, with makeup smeared across their faces and their heels in hand. The lack of judgement and control which are simultaneously a draw and a drawback can lead to some painful recollections of the state of the person you woke up to find in your bed the next morning.

The memories of Fresher’s week for many are probably strikingly similar. In the first uncomfortable couple of days where everyone was a stranger, my solution to the awkwardness was to get as drunk as possible and therefore turn into a friendly, confident and loquacious character. Sadly, in reality, I emerged as a stumbling, irritating mess who could be found staggering around the SU accosting vulnerable people separated from their friends.

From a medical perspective, we are hardly helping our bodies by the amount of alcohol we are funnelling down our throats or pouring into our eyes (Neither of which should be attempted), and by being in a constant cycle of either drunkenness or recovery, we are poisoning ourselves- all in the name of a good night out.

So, what have we learned? Yes, alcohol is a huge part of our lives and our experiences at university may not be the same without it, but know when enough is enough, don’t be sick on your girlfriend and if you can’t walk yourself to your taxi to the club, you would be better off turning around and getting into bed.