Kids
The Easy Drinking Guide for College Kids
Kids are bound to start drinking in college so might as well have a guide they can follow.
Drinking beer and alcohol is a common thing in college. If it’s in Katipunan, there’s the Pop-Up filled with all sorts of bars, the ever-faithful Derfs and, Walrus. Taft has Sherwood Place, Team Lowkey Restobar, and a variety of others that college kids frequent to go drinking. Instead of preventing the inevitable of them drinking alcohol, here’s a guide to prevent them from at least going around wasted.
Drinkers and Their Tiers
Yes, college kids nowadays define what kind of drinker they are based on how much they take and for what reason they do drink. We’ve probably heard a lot of statements ranging from “OMG, this person is such a lightweight!” to “How are you not knocked out yet!?”. They even have a term for those who can’t ‘hold their alcohol’ or figure out their limit: weak.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the Gen-Z or Millennial term for alcohol drinkers:
Drinkers Based on Their Motives
- Social Drinkers – The most common kind; these are the kind of college kids who would only drink if the situation requires them to. They usually don’t drink too much and are known to copy the drink of the other attendees. A lot of times, their favorites swing between beer, soju, or moscatos.
- Conforming Drinkers – These are the drinkers who drink because everyone in the room is pressuring them to drink. To not succumb to peer pressure, they take a few sips. They drink a lot less and sometimes can hold the alcohol in their cheeks like a squirrel before spitting it into a plant or toilet.
- Thrill-Seeking Drinkers – These are the ones who drink for the excitement. Other terms for them are the “party animals” or the “happy drunks”. They are the ones who constantly pour drinks as if it’s free-flowing.
- Alcoholics or Coping Drinkers – Stress can make college kids seek alcohol if coffee isn’t cutting it. One way to know it’s bad is that even the slightest amount of stress makes them seek alcohol. At first, it’ll start with beer but then it’ll become heavier like vodka or gin. Some will stick to beer though to make sure they don’t have to constantly ask for an allowance from us.
Drinkers Based on Drink/Shot Limit
- Lightweight – The lightweights are those who get drunk after 2 to 3 shots or 1 beer. This does not include those who are allergic, however, since they have severe reactions to some forms of alcohol. The most common allergy is malt, which is the main component of beer.
- Middleweight – The middleweights are often the ones who are not exactly sure of their limits. Their limits swing from 2 bottles of beer to 5 bottles of soju to 8 shots of tequila.
- Heavyweight – The heavyweights are the kind of people who can take perhaps 5 bottles of soju, followed by a Scotch mix, and one 16-ounce Iron Ball-Tanqueray mix without showing the slightest hint of being tipsy. They’re not always the life of the party but their drinking limit can stun guests and family members alike. These people are also the kind to use lighter drinks as chasers.
Yes, even drinks have their tiers!
With the drinkers broken down, there are some drinks that the community agrees can function as light, chasers, or heavy drinks. They gauge the strength of the drink on how ‘fast’ or ‘hard’ the drinker gets hit. Below are some of the common drinks they’ve already gauged:
- Light Drinks (Alcohol Level is lower than 30%) – Smirnoff, all kinds of Moscato, all San Miguel Beers, cocktails with only 1 to 2 alcoholic components, Tanduay Ice, Soju
- Mid-tier Drinks (Alcohol Level is around 40%) – Extra Strong Red Horse, Jose Cuervo Tequila, Johnnie Walker Double Black, Absolut Vodka, Jagermeister, Iron Ball, Tanqueray, Hendricks
- Heavy Drinks (Alcohol Level around 50% and above) – Bacardi 151 (discontinued due to its flammability), Absinthe, Lambanog (this can go as high as 83%!)
Thankfully, many of the heavier drinks are unavailable in the Philippines and can be quite pricy. So, what college kids usually drink are the mid-tier ones but do so in high amounts.
Drunks and Their Types
There are multiple kinds of drunks and sometimes, it’s best to figure out what kind of drunk your college kid is before sending them off to a rave party or a drinking session.
- Happy Drunk – They’re laughing and constantly pouring drinks.
- Dancing Drunk – They suddenly bust a move on the dance floor and do it quite well, too.
- Angry/Violent Drunk – The last kind of drunk anyone really needs.
- Sleepy Drunk – They’re more prone to passing out and falling asleep on the couch.
- Word Vomit Drunk – These are the kind of drunks who will tell you the secrets of the universe and every gossip possible. Without inhibitions.
- Weepy Drunk – They do cry and tell the world their problems. Including ones that they never wanted people to hear.
What do we do when our college kids come home wasted, drunk, or both?
They’ll definitely need a pain killer for their headaches. But another thing to make the hangovers a lot easier is to give them drinks that are high in antioxidants. Alcohol, in its chemical and molecular form, is -OOH which is an oxidant. It’s why some even drink glutathione to remove hangovers. If not glutathione, here are some combinations that work:
- Cranberry Juice
- Banana with Honey
- Buko Juice
- Sparkling Apple Juice
- Ginger Tea (Salabat)
- Lemon Tea
- Green Tea
Combined with a good bowl of chicken soup, the hangover will be over in an hour or 2.
Our personal opinion: Get the kids drunk at home first before sending them to college parties!
Usually, college kids come home wasted or drunk as a result of an experiment gone wrong or testing their limits. Having the kids drinking at home first even for the lighter ones can help them figure out their limit so they’re not carried away by the intensity of the rave or drinking parties. Plus, they definitely wouldn’t want to deal with a hangover if they have an exam the next day. At least if they’re drunk at home, there’s a clean toilet and medicines to help clear up the hangover.
More about college kids and their lives in uni or college:
Shifting College Courses is Not A Sign of Defeat
How To Help Teens With Their Pre-College Entrance Test Anxiety
WATCH: Ruffa Gutierrez Graduates from College
