There I was, surrounded by what seemed to be an ocean of intoxicated individuals, wondering why the beers I had drank were not making me as reckless as some of these waves were. Then I remembered the amount of years I have been drinking, and how I had parents and a few minor incidents that taught me to drink responsibly. I became somewhat annoyed of these people and the way they were acting. The increased libido of the men fueling their tactless attempts at attracting women had me feeling repulsed. And what irked me most was that I knew that the majority of the people I was observing acting recklessly are under the legal age for drinking. I was at my university’s opening football game trying to remember if I had ever acted in the ways I was currently observing. I remember nights that were composed of very blurry pictures and hours of dancing but failed to recall outright disrespect towards others. And I believe that the reasons I outline below, which are the ones I actively follow, are why I cannot recall myself acting in a disrespectful way when drinking.
5 ways to be a respectful drinker:
Before you drink in public, learn how to drink responsibly in the privacy and safety of your own home. When I say, “learn how to drink,” I mean it. I believe that consuming alcohol is something someone needs to “learn” how to do. Learn how much alcohol you can drink before you reach a point where you are no longer acting as yourself. Learn what types of alcohol affect you faster. Learn how you behave when you drink alcohol. Basically, LEARN.
Maintain respect as the goal while you drink. Alcohol can cause discrepancies in the way we behave. I accept that as a fact. But if you keep the word “respect” in the front of your mind while you drink, you lessen the chance of disrespect. Never allow yourself to reach the point where you can no longer respect others or even yourself. If you think it is okay to enter this point because of alcohol then you have no business drinking. Even on my worst night of drinking, the night I was drugged at a club whose name I will not disclose; I still had respect for those around me.
Remember alcohol is not an excuse to berate others and “act a fool.” Your behavior while drinking is STILL your behavior. The expectations we have for our behavior should not be lowered in the presence of alcohol. We should still conduct ourselves in a fashion that we would be proud of while sober. If you use alcohol as an excuse to behave differently then you should not be drinking. Alcohol is never an excuse for bad behavior. You are still the one choosing to behave that way.
View consuming alcohol as a privilege, not a right. If you are going to disrespect others when you drink, then you should no longer afford yourself the right to drink. Your right to drink does not come before someone’s right to good treatment. Therefore, if you are going to drink, you should refrain from treating others badly. That is the only way to retain your right to drink.
Always keep in mind the purpose of your outing. Oftentimes people forget that the purpose of their outing, albeit alcohol being present, was to spend time and bond with others. The alcohol they consume often clouds this purpose; it then becomes more of “I am drunk. Let’s focus on that” outing. If you went to watch a football game, then do not get so drunk before it that you are then falling asleep in the bleachers during the actual game. This causes your friends, who drank responsibly, to care for you instead of fulfilling their purpose for the outing. If the purpose of your outing is to get “blackout drunk,” of which I will not judge, then keep the outing contained in the privacy of a home, surrounded by individuals you wholeheartedly trust.
All in all, I believe that following these boldly written words will keep you from embarrassing yourself at the next party you attend. After all, it is better to be seen as a responsible drinker than to throw up all over the person you like.
