Alcohol

Drinking responsibly

Alcohol has been and probably always will be, a part of the social scene of university life.

Going out for a drink can be fun, but going out to get "wasted" is not. No one thinks you are fun when you are slurring, stumbling, vomiting in your pillow or keeping your room mate up at night. You don't have to get liquored up every night to enjoy the "Bishop's Experience". The majority of Bishop's students do not drink heavily. Some do not drink at all.

Frequent binge drinkers (5 or more drinks) are 20 times more likely to experience these alcohol-related problems than non-binge drinkers:

  • missed classes
  • behind in school work
  • damaged property
  • been hurt or injured
  • engaged in unplanned and unsafe sexual activity
  • in trouble with police or campus security
  • driven a car after drinking

DO YOU HAVE A DRINKING PROBLEM?

Do any of these situations sound familiar?

  • You miss classes because of hangovers or just cannot get up in the morning for class?
  • You're looking forward to the end of the week so you can get extremely drunk or you do not even wait until the end of the week.
  • You have promised yourself you will slow down or stop drinking, but you can only keep the promise for a few days.
  • Your drinking has led to financial difficulty.
  • You do not want to stop drinking even when your friends say you've had enough and it's time to go.
  • You've gotten into an argument or fistfight while you were drinking.
  • You are drinking in order to deal with failures or disappointment.
  • You've had sex while you were drunk, did not use protection, caught an STD and now the girl, whose name you don't even remember, is accusing you of sexual assault.

If you think you may have a drinking problem, come to talk to someone at Health Services or Counseling. If you know someone who seems to have a drinking problem, do not be afraid to talk to them about it. Discuss the issue when neither of you is drinking. Be prepared to go with them to Health or Counseling Services.

www.checkyourdrinking.net is an interesting website that asks a few simple questions about your drinking habits and then gives an assessment of your answers such as: 

  • How many days you drank in the past year
  • How much weight you gained from drinking alcohol
  • How much money you spent on alcohol
  • How the amount you drink compares to your peers

Afterwards, your score is tallied to give you an assessment of your drinking habits and if you have no problem at all with alcohol or if you are dependant on it.

Tips on cutting down

  • Decide to go out only one or two nights during the week and stick with it.
  • Set a limit on how much you will drink and stick with it.
  • Do not drink more than one drink per hour.
  • Get involved in more physical, non-alcoholic activities, like intramural sports, movies, bowling etc.
  • Do not keep alcohol in your room.
  • Do not chug and do not play drinking games.
  • Do not go out with the intention of getting drunk.
  • If the friends you go out with don't respect your efforts to cut down, you may need to change friends.