“Trying to ruin someone else’s life is a poor way to address one’s alcohol and self-control problems.”
This is true. But is this really the most intelligent — to say nothing of compassionate — thing for an advice columnist to say to someone whose friend was possibly date raped?
No, Dear Prudence at Slate.com, it was not.
I was a virgin until a month before my 21st birthday. I was on my second date with a guy named Craig, a 20-something blond surfer type who got my number after I made him a chai tea to go at the coffee shop in his neighborhood where I worked. I was lying on his bed and the Best of Willie Nelson was playing on his CD player. He had a tapestry hanging on the ceiling and there was a poster for the critically un-acclaimed jam band, The String Cheese Incident, on the wall. I felt him enter me and it hurt like hell, but I was flying high on the notion that I had finally conquered two fears — the fear of having sex and the fear that I never would. Afterwards, I was a little embarrassed by the spotting of blood on his sheets — should I offer to wash them? — but I still couldn’t contain my excitement.
Keep reading »
Pennsylvania’s Liquor Control Board is under fire for a new PSA campaign called Control Tonight, which critics say puts the onus on women for “not getting raped” while drunk and is blaming the victim. The ad in question depicts a woman’s bare legs on what looks like a tiled bathroom floor with her panties pulled down to her ankles and the text reads:
02:19 a.m SHE DIDN’T WANT TO DO IT, BUT SHE COULDN’T SAY NO.
When your friends drink, they can end up making bad decisions. Like going home with someone they don’t know very well.
Decisions like that leave them vulnerable to dangers like date rape. Help your friends stay in control and stay safe. Keep reading »
Last weekend, I stood on the subway platform, thumbing through a magazine and grumbling about how the next train wouldn’t arrive for another 11 minutes. As I waited, more and more feet descended the stairs. Two pairs caught my attention — one was manicured with bright red polish and strapped into a sky high silver sandals, the other was in electric blue stilettos. Both pairs of ankles wobbled as their owners awkwardly lowered their feet. It seemed like at any moment, one—or maybe both—of them would come plummeting down the stairs. A few unsteady steps later, two women appeared in full view—both their faces were flushed and they clung to each other’s arms for dear life. “Wha a you lookin’ at,” one of them slurred to a guy who shook his head as they passed.
These girls were trashed. It was only 8 p.m.
Watching them zig and zag down the subway platform, I felt adrenaline rush through me. I felt like I should do something. But what? These are adults. They’re just having fun, I thought. They can take care of themselves.
But then another part of me thought: how naive. Keep reading »
“There is no justice for drunk women,” begins Andrea Peysner’s New York Post column, “It’s Open Season For Predators In Uniform,” about the acquittal of a cop accused of raping a drunk woman in her apartment. “A Manhattan jury yesterday had to decide whom it hated more: a rotten police officer who admitted he lied, cheated, cuddled, kissed and groped a drunken woman. Or the woman herself … But there never was any contest. The jury loathed her on sight.” Peysner, it should be noted, is known for her extremely conservative views. I generally consider her a wack job, so I was shocked to read that she was just as appalled as I am by the results of this case.
As a young woman who has also been drunk on many occasions, this case has resonated deeply with me. It has, in particular, reminded me of a night I had eight years ago. I am now wondering how a jury of my peers would have judged me had the night gone differently. Keep reading »
Suppose you’re looking to drown your sorrows at the bottom of a pint glass. Where might be the best place to do that? A survey done by The Daily Beast examined cities based on the number of heavy drinkers and binge drinkers, the number of alcohol-related deaths, and the average number of drinks per person per month. At the top of the list? Milwaukee, WI, followed by Fargo, ND. We suppose this makes sense: Fargo and Milwaukee are cold-weather towns, but they’re followed on the list by San Francisco, CA, Austin, TX and Reno, NV—all party- and tourism-heavy cities. Surprisingly not in the top 40: New York City and Los Angeles. [The Daily Beast] Keep reading »
How’s this for a scary trend? Apparently some college-aged women follow what’s being called a “drunkorexic” diet that involves binge drinking and then offsetting those calories by not eating. Stats show that about 30% of 18-24 year old women now participate in some form of drunkorexia. So why are so many women doing it? Well, the desire to be skinny can compete with a person’s desire to participate in the social scene. Dr. Douglas Bunnell, director of outpatient clinical services for the Renfrew Center, said to The New York Times, “Binge drinking is almost cool and hip, and losing weight and being thin is a cultural imperative for young women in America. Mixing both is not surprising, and it has reached a tipping point in terms of public awareness.” Can you say dangerous? The calories in alcohol lack any nutritional value and are hardly a supplement for, you know, food just aren’t the same. And how in the hell do these people pass up a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich when they wake up with a nasty hangover? [NationalEatingDisorders.org]
After prohibiting smoking in bars in January, the French government is now cracking down on other vices by banning open bars and happy hours. The measures come after rising binge drinking trends among its country’s youth. This may come as a surprise to Americans accustomed to college kid-culture which traditionally stands in contrast to Europe’s seemingly refined youth who have profited from liberal attitudes on drinking. But, it appears weaning youngsters on beer and wine is no longer working as alcohol-related visits for minors rose 50 percent in the past five years. The law will also raise the drinking age from 16 to 18. While wine and cigarettes might be health threats, they’re also staples of French culture. If the government continues this trend, what’s next? Better start clinging to those croissants for dear life. [Reuters] Keep reading »
On the cover of today’s free paper AM New York is a hard-hitting headline about how the New York City Department of Health found that…wait for it… binge drinking leads to sex. Puh-lease, after ZERO drinks I’ll do the nasty! Plus, if that was all it took to get laid, I’d get hammered in morning, I’d get hammered in the evening, I’d get hammered all over this land! According to the Health Department’s report, if you have more than five drinks in one sitting, at least once a month, you’re a big slutty drunky-drunk. [Oops. Oops again. Oops. -- Editor] And by slutty, the study means you have had two to four partners a year. Whore! Keep reading »
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