Opinion

Do Girls Drink Too Much?

One of the bonuses of turning 18 is that we can buy our own alcohol, head to clubs and get to enjoy the perks of being an adult. Many countries around the world, including England, have a reputation for binge drinking; in most parts of the country on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights you’ll see the youth drunk, pouring out onto the streets. As someone who’s in their mid twenties, I’ve had my fair share of big nights, but it seems that girls are drinking carelessly and dangerously.

In a recent study, commissioned by Girly Night Out there were a lot of concerning revelations; almost 35% of those who responded admitted to drinking too much, while only 9% of respondents believe that their friends always drink responsibility. That means 91% of the people that took the survey thought that some, if not a majority, of their friends drink in a way that is dangerous to them or others. When asking the question of whether girls drink too much, we need to consider whether this is a safe level or not and based on the responses, it seems that for most responsible drinking goes out the window.

When we drink irresponsibly, we are much more likely to make bad choices or decisions. 15% of those who answered the survey admitted to waking up after a night out and not knowing where they were. If the responded had consumed so much alcohol that they suffered memory loss, then a lot of other questions could be left unanswered. Were they safe at all times? Did they have someone watching over them? What else happened that they can’t remember?

Beyond the way in which we are drinking and the effects of it, there’s a concerning number of people (one in ten) who think that it is not possible to have a good night out without alcohol. This dependency on alcohol to have fun, to work as a social lubricant or to signify a good night out is scary. For me, all I need to ensure a good night out is a couple of my friends, alcohol is just an optional added bonus.

So the question still stands as to whether girls drink too much. But it’s obvious that many girls are drinking in a way that puts their safety at risk, while others are dependant on alcohol to have fun.

As they say, it’s not what we’re drinking – it’s HOW. For your next girly night out, maybe you can give alcohol a miss and just enjoy each other’s company.

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