A Binge Drinking, Promiscuous Enabler
Nov 13th, 2007 by Alex
Over the weekend I was described as “a binge drinking, promiscuous enabler.” Even there were no ugly people present, it reminded me of the t-shirt design to the right. The comment was made in good fun and I’m still chuckling about it a few days later. Does that mean that I enable promiscuity? Or are the words interchangeable, that I enable binge drinking? or that I’m promiscuously enabling binge drinkers? It gets confusing. It’s a good think I’m sitting down.
Enabler, sure. Promiscuous, no. Binge drinking, though… that just sounds bad.
If you had two beers while watching the game on Sunday, you’re halfway to becoming a binge drinker. That is, according to the fine medical experts at Seventeen magazine. What can I say, I got stuck using the female roommate’s bathroom at a party this weekend. As is the case with most medical matters and especially considering the source material, I opted for a second opinion.
According to the British Medical Association, “there is no consensus on the definition of binge drinking. In the past, ‘binge drinking’ was often used to refer to an extended period of time, usually two days or more, during which a person repeatedly drank to intoxication, giving up usual activities and obligations.” Recently they define it as ten or more drinks in a session.
The British drink more than we do yet aside from incidents at soccer games, you don’t hear as much about problems with drunks. Maybe its because there’s a better mass transit system that everyone uses. Maybe people know when to call it a night. Or maybe they’ve just got a higher tolerance. I’m told that the British drink more often, but not as much as Americans; Americans tend to drink less often, but have the tendency to get wicked pissed when they do. Sound familiar?
I think the American definition is how it is in an attempt to prevent college kids from drinking. I remember campaigns advertising that you were a binge drinker if you had a few drinks in the span of a few hours. Labeling a kid a binge drinker might deter some weak-minded kids with problems of conscience, but I doubt it would stop a hardcore kid from doing a keg stand. It’s hypocritical. The same people responsible for the campaign are the ones going to happy hours after work or splitting a bottle of wine over dinner at a fancy restaurant.
Whether the past or modern version, I like the British definition better.
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I think you might be right that the British have a higher tolerance — but more in the respect that drinking is just a built-in part of life, and thus so is drunkenness. Less so about how much they can actually put away as it relates to drunkenness levels.
I miss England.
maliavale: Their culture breeds tolerance of alcohol, but culturally and physically. If I had a pint or two everyday at lunch, having a few more in the evening probably wouldn’t have much of an effect. No one would slight me for doing so either.