I’m over the age of 21, which means I’m legal to consume alcoholic beverages. And I take advantage of my legality: I like to kick back with a nice Bell’s microbrew or a glass of Shiraz once in a while.
However, I’m hesitant to leave pictures of me with a drink in my hand on social networking sites, such as Facebook, because “Big Brother” (aka employers) are watching.
This is what I find difficult to swallow: I’ve seen pictures of professors, employers, and professionals with a drink in their hands (I’m facebook friends with many of them and even have enjoyed an adult beverage with a few of them). So, let me get this straight: I’m not supposed have photos of me drinking, but you can (directed at a general “you,” not anyone specific)?
And to what extent does this “censorship” go? Am I allowed to have a photo where I have a drink on the table? Am I allowed to be in a photo with someone who has a solo cup in his or her hand? I think there’s a certain point where you have to draw the line.
Much like my friend Dan Hamilton, who recently wrote on a similar topic in our school newspaper, I drink because I enjoy what I’m drinking; not because I want to get “slammed” and make a fool of myself.
The amount of drinks necessary to be considered “binge drinking” is four or more drinks consumed within two hours for women and five or more drinks for men. Many times, my amount of drinking will not go beyond two or three in a night. And even that isn’t very often, most times I’ll have one beverage after a stressful day of work, classes, homework, job hunting, and other anomalies that are relevant to the life of a college senior.
Though college students typically carry the stigmata of binge drinking, not all college students, such as myself, fit the norm. I’m not going to lie and say I’ve never binged on alcohol before, but then again, not many adults can claim they never have either.
When consumed in moderation, I think drinking adult beverages can prove a sense of responsibility and maturity.
What do you think? Should students of legal drinking age hide or censor the fact that they enjoy drinking in moderation now and again? *Should they have to remove every photo that has an alcoholic beverage within the vicinity?
*This question was initially one that went unanswered at this week’s #PRStudChat.
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