I found his piece very insightful, especially in that he refers to alcohol as “the only drug that everyone is expected to use,” a drug which can have very damaging effects in large doses. Yet it is assumed that all college students drink, basically because they can (in most cases). 

From Jennings’ sober position, the drinking habits of his friends seem “mindless.”  He suggests, “The question shouldn’t be, ‘Why aren’t you drunk?’ Rather, we need to start asking, ‘Why are you drunk?'”

While I appreciate articles about how to drink responsibly and fit alcohol into a healthy diet (here’s a cute post from a Self intern), it is also important to keep the notion of balance in mind. There’s a line that gets crossed from one’s drinking being, like, too many extra calories to a serious problem. 

And it’s not just college kids—when I was in college, most of my friends were a bit older (mid-twenties to early-thirties). What my college friends would call a night was like milk to these guys. Whatever happened to slowly savoring a drink?

While I like a good glass of wine or the occasional cocktail, the few times I’ve attempted to keep up with the group did not end well…Being four-foot-eleven definitely limits your options in that respect. What the “experts” tell you about sipping water in between drinks and not drinking on an empty stomach is true.