College Life
Alcohol
Some
schools do not have alcohol issues as the
drinking age is above average student age.
But the fact of the matter is that alcohol
is prevalent in many schools.
Drink
After School Hours
Ty
not to drink between classes. Teachers
can smell alcohol from a mile away (unless
of course they reek of it themselves...),
so make an effort never to show up to class
tipsy, let alone hammered. This is even
more so in business school where at any
time, you may be called upon. In the corporate
world you may have some triple martini lunches
however, showing once again that the rules
of engagement change once you are on the
outside.
Drink
At Night
As
obvious as this may sound, make it a rule
to drink when the sun goes down or at least
never before a certain time, like 4:20
for example. The college semester is a routine;
if you start drinking at noon everyday,
expect to have a serious "habit"
by the time you graduate (that is, if you
graduate).
Water
Is OK
No
one is telling you to sip on Perrier all
night, but after a good half dozen beers,
a couple of mixed drinks and obligatory
shots, it would be advisable to stop drinking
about 30 to 60 minutes before walking or
getting a lift home and sip on some water.
Yes, it may break your heart to have to
shell out almost as much on bottled water
than you would on beer, but hey, it beats
waking up with a hangover or worse, not
at all.
Hangover
Remedies
The
best advice is to eat before you go out.
Independent of this though, you should still
drink plenty of water. Drink water before,
during and after the alcohol assault. If
you happen to bar hop, try to eat throughout
the journey.
When
you get back home, drink some water or juice.
When you wake up, take a long, hot shower
and have a solid breakfast. Whatever you
do, relax on the pills. One headache pill
or two may help, but anything else is excessive.
Responsible
Drinking
Sip,
don't chug. You will be hammered by night's
end anyway; the goal should be to remain
standing.
Pickled
Liver?
Make
an effort to not drink, say from Monday
to Thursday if you plan on going crazy on
the weekend. Notice that the weekend seems
to start on Thursday...
Beer:
Quality, Not Quantity
Budget
constraints aside, you are well served by
drinking good beer instead of lots of beer.
Try good imported beer and microbrew instead
of downing a six-pack of pee.
Wine
It
would not hurt to consider drinking wine
in lieu of beer. The suggestion is not to
chug wine out of a funnel but to sip it
instead of tanking on suds. Red wine is
actually healthy for you and leaves a better
impression than showing up at someone's
crib with a six-pack. A keg may be a rite
of passage at any frat party, but for various
occasions, wine is the way to go. For more
on wine, check out the food section.
Hard
Drinks
While
some hard drinks may help you avoid that
beer gut, they will also make you a raging
alcoholic fast. Sure, vodka is less filling
than beer (or rum for that matter), but
be careful what you get yourself into when
you pull up a barstool.
Champagne
While
Champagne may not be on your radar, it is
good to know a couple of things about bubbly.
For one, despite what anyone says, Champagne
and sparkling wine will mess you up very
fast. So go easy on it.
What
is the difference between Champagne and
sparkling wine? Both are bubbly but only
Champagne comes from the Champagne region
in France. While the quality is superior,
you can opt for great sparkling wines for
under $20 a bottle. Few can pull off drinking
champagne or sparkling wine without looking
pretentious.
Remember:
partying
is part of college life, just keep an eye
on the tab.
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