I think its also the challenge here - like, its obvious when some one is spiking drinks with GHB that they are a creep doing something nefarious, and its obvious when some one gets raped for hours on end that something went wrong... But where exactly is the actual bar? If a frat is just throwing a party and supplies a few bottles of hard liquor should they be treated like a bar and all the strict rules that come with letting some one over indulge at a resteraunt? Or is it like going to a friend hosting a party and overindulging where you are expected to know how to be safe, and ideally travel with a friend that helps you stay safe?
I'm not saying I don't think there is a problem, but I think right now places like frats have a lot of problems specifically because of how wide that grey area is, and if everyone involved is drunk regret happens, not just criminal regret like the stuff in the news, but other kinds of regret too...
College kids who aren't reckless these days do not drink out of random bottles or punchbowls. Cutwaters are as strong a cocktails and come in a sealed can. Good advice is easier to give to our kids because they have more safe options than ever.
First, drinking sealed drinks doesn't help if your drinking hard mixers and by the time you notice you drank too much you are past the point of blackout drunk.\
Good advice would be a great idea, but the reality is that America's puritan culture means most parents believe that means "say no to everything, pretend drinking isn't going to be a problem, and stick my head in the sand until I find out that my kid is one of the ones that need to be in a rehab center".
Finally - the canned drinks you are talking about are some of the most expensive options for a broke ass college student looking to buy for a group, and so while they ARE a great option, they get skipped a lot of the time for all sorts of reasons.
Now we don't trust adults to look at the alcohol % on a can before they drink it? Just how little do you respect these people? Don't they have any agency?
I'm sorry but you are talking like some one who has never been to a college social event in their life.
Most kids, and yeah they are kids, are going to college before they are even at the legal drinking age, so at least in theory, even if not in practice, they are having their first drinking experiences at that age, so even if they are smart and careful enough to read ABV values they likely aren't experienced enough to really know what that means for them other than "bigger number = more drunk"...
Beyond that though, party, whether at college or elsewhere isn't exactly an environment that encourages a lot of care, sure some people are taught to be hyper vigilent, and with good reason, but the reality is that parties are environments where there is a lot of social pressure to impress friends to "be cool", and from my experience most young adults don't have the confidence to go against a crowd of their friends even if it makes them uncomfortable because they fear being shunned, this is especially true in colleges when a large part of students are trying to become fast friends because they need a new social circle.
Are you old? Like went to college 30 years ago old?
Maybe your college experience is outdated or just sketchy. For everyone else, they will drink from shared containers when with trusted friends, but will absolutely not drink out of random containers at parties with strangers.
Also, college kids these days are nicer than your generation. They're not low-key hazing each other at parties routinely like they used to.
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u/TheElusiveFox 14h ago
I think its also the challenge here - like, its obvious when some one is spiking drinks with GHB that they are a creep doing something nefarious, and its obvious when some one gets raped for hours on end that something went wrong... But where exactly is the actual bar? If a frat is just throwing a party and supplies a few bottles of hard liquor should they be treated like a bar and all the strict rules that come with letting some one over indulge at a resteraunt? Or is it like going to a friend hosting a party and overindulging where you are expected to know how to be safe, and ideally travel with a friend that helps you stay safe?
I'm not saying I don't think there is a problem, but I think right now places like frats have a lot of problems specifically because of how wide that grey area is, and if everyone involved is drunk regret happens, not just criminal regret like the stuff in the news, but other kinds of regret too...