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National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week

Graduate Student Testimonies and Common Alcohol-Related Myths

1. It’s not drinking if you are not blacked out or passed out (myth)

Graduate: I thought blacking out or passing out were not dangerous before college. I wish I had more education on this, and maybe I wouldn’t have made certain mistakes. Drinking safely does not look like passing out or forgetting things.

Graduate: Initially, I thought that drinking quickly was normal. I also did not think that I had to pay attention to how many drinks, or what kind of drinks I had. I learned very quickly that these behaviors were ignorant and hurtful. I am glad that I educated myself on this topic, and would suggest that others do the same. One mistake involving this myth can change your whole life. Be safe!

2. Everyone drinks (myth)

Graduate: I thought that everyone drank, but I did not. I met a ton of students who did not drink in college, which furthered my understanding that not everyone drinks.

Graduate: I did not drink, had friends who did and did not drink, and I still do not drink—so this myth can’t be true.

Graduate: It felt necessary to drink in order to have a social life my first few years of undergrad. All my friends drank and I had been drinking since high school. Most of the social opportunities I wanted to take part in revolved around drinking, and everyone was heavily drinking multiple days a week. After a few years of drinking Wednesday-Sunday, I realized that I really did not want to be going out and be tired all the time. My junior and senior year after turning 21, I dropped a student organization and made friends with folks who were not drinking all of the time. I started playing a sport that had heavy drinking ties, but multiple sober people were on the team. I realized that everyone was not drinking as much as I was and that not all activities had to involve alcohol.

3. Beer and wine are safer than liquor (myth)

Graduate: I thought that this was true, until I was educated about standard drink sizes.

Graduate: I used to think this was true when I was in undergraduate school because I thought I could control my drinking if I just wasn’t drinking liquor.

4. Binge drinking in college is not alcoholism (myth)

Graduate: In my early 20’s I believed that I did not have a drinking problem, because I was able to complete important tasks. As I got older, I realized that I was compensating for deep seeded mental health issues.

Graduate: People used to joke about this all the time, but quite frankly it is not funny. Thinking that this myth is true, or joking about it with friends is how alcoholism begins to hurt communities, families, friends, etc.

5. Alcohol is not as harmful as other drugs (myth)

Graduate: I thought because alcohol was legal at 21, that It could not be as harmful as other drugs. This is clearly not true, because in college I watched some of my peers abuse alcohol and it was clearly very harmful related to both their physical and mental health.

6. You can sober up quickly by taking a cold shower or drinking coffee (myth)

Graduate: I thought this was true, especially when I was younger because I thought I could recover quickly. Time is truly the only thing that heals— or just choosing to drink safely based on your B.A.C./dietary restrictions (sugar, gluten). Making sure you are hydrated with water and that you are paying attention to standard drink sizes and what is considered to be binge drinking, or drinking too quickly, are also necessary to not harm your mind and body. This myth is absolutely untrue, and dangerous.

7. Drinking alcohol will make people like you (myth)

Graduate: The memories I wish I had from the mistakes I made when my choices did not align with my values, related to drinking, are my biggest regrets from undergrad.

Graduate: My sorority helped me to realize that I did not need alcohol to find true friends who support me to this day— sober.

Graduate: Abusing alcohol is how I made people dislike me. Being myself and staying true to my values was what made people “like” me. Who needs someone who doesn’t like the sober and real you?? No one.

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Want to learn more about alcohol and other drugs? Check these out!

NIAA 

SAMHSA

 

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