Not every college student drinks alcohol, but many of them do, and that can lead to dangerous mistakes. After all, people don’t always talk about the ways that drinking can go wrong, which forces you to learn from experience. The safest thing to do is not to drink at all, but consuming alcohol is also quite safe for most students as long as they keep a few things in mind.

What Is A “Drink?”

Not all alcohol is created equal. Doctors usually talk about alcohol consumption in terms of “drinks” which vary in size between beverages. One drink is about 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled liquor. While those have very different amounts of liquid, they all contain approximately the same amount of alcohol. It’s harder to predict the amount of alcohol in mixed drinks, since they can have so many different components. When possible, it’s best to find the total amount of alcohol by adding up the ingredients. If not, play it safe and assume that it’s equivalent to an equal amount of distilled liquor.

Eat First, Drink Later

People get drunk faster on an empty stomach. Consuming food that contains plenty of carbohydrates before drinking will cause some of the alcohol to get absorbed into the food instead of the body. This makes the alcohol take effect slowly and prevents some of it from getting absorbed into the body. It’s also best to drink water or other non-alcoholic beverages while consuming alcohol. Ideally, you should alternate between alcohol and water, but that isn’t crucial. Drinking water will both dilute the alcohol and prevent dehydration, which can help to prevent hangovers the next morning.

Take It Slow

People who drink alcohol don’t start to feel drunk until it starts to metabolize, which usually takes a few minutes. People who expect it to take effect immediately often assume they can handle more alcohol because they don’t feel drunk. This often makes them drink too much. To avoid that, try to leave plenty of space between each drink. Drinking slowly will also reduce the amount of alcohol in your system. The body starts breaking down alcohol right after it is consumed. That allows people to drink all night without getting too drunk, as long as they consume the alcohol at the same speed that their body gets rid of it. The rate varies from person to person, but most people can handle one drink per hour without any problems.

Stay Safe

A final precaution is to never drink and drive. A Collin County Criminal Defense Attorney warns to always have a designated driver on hand and be sure you are safe walking home or back to the dorms. Experimenting with alcohol is part of the college experience and as long as you do so wisely, you’ll have nothing to worry about.

We welcome your feedback to our work.

Email:  General Information   |   Prof. David C. Pecoraro

Thank you!

Daniel & David

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What All New College Students Should Know About Drinking

Special Post Published: 12/31/16