Young people who've had a bit too much to drink. Ask almost any new college parent what worries them most about depositing their kid in the freshmen dorm and driving away, and the answer will likely be binge-drinking. The images of kids guzzling booze to unconsciousness, party drinks spiked with Roofies, and campus rapes of stone-cold drunken coeds, are seared into our parental brains. Lots of kids begin drinking while they are still in high school. I know this because I don’t actually live under a rock. I even know people who let their high schoolers host booze-and-weed parties right under their noses ― as if being there and watching bad behavior somehow makes it better. As one mom advised me in junior year, “Don’t ask if the parents will be home. Ask if the parents will be home and sober.” I also know parents in the U.S. and Europe who regularly pour a glass of wine for their young teens each night with dinner. Nothing wrong with it, they say, it’s a cultural thing.

Demystify alcohol and the kids will care less about it, goes one line of parental thinking. Don’t make booze the forbidden fruit, which would only enhance its appeal, these parents say. And my personal favorite as it applies to the college scene: It’s just a rite of passage to get drunk in college; there’s really nothing you can do about it. Besides, everybody does it. Sorry, I don’t buy it. In fact, I think parents are a big part of the problem and I finally came across a study that proves me right. According to research out of Loyola Marymount University published in August in the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, it’s the parents who are the ones succumbing to peer pressure from other parents to show tolerance, if not outright encouragement, for their teens’ drinking. They want to be seen as cool and as chill as the parents-next-door, so to speak. But here’s a newsflash: Those cool and chill parents? They are not as laid back and permissive as you think.

“We tend to think of peer pressure as something that only young people have to deal with,” said Joseph LaBrie, a professor of psychology at LMU and the lead author of the study, in a press release. “But all of us implicitly feel a need to conform to what we think everyone else is doing. The problem is that, when it comes to health behaviors, we are often wrong in our perceptions of how others are thinking and behaving.” Here’s the reality: Kids who are given sips of alcohol in middle school are more likely to drink in high school. Those who don’t drink alcohol in high school are less likely to binge drink in college. Take your pick which path you want your kid to take. And here’s what making a bad choice leads to, according to the National Institutes of Health: * About 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor-vehicle crashes. The number is far less for simply alcohol poisoning, like that matters somehow.

* About 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted each year by another student who has been drinking. * About 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report experiencing alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape every year. And the real message is this: No, not everyone is doing it ― even if that’s what it feels like sometimes. Parents need to parent. big wine glass funny picsAre you really spending $50,000 a year for college so your son can learn how to spend nights with his head over the toilet bowl perfecting his aim? man o war red wineAren’t you just a little glad that it wasn’t your kid rushed by ambulance from a Long Island party recently when the police found three of the 400 revelers unconscious from drinking? buy california wine australia

The homeowner parent faces a year in jail if found guilty of the Social Host Law. And don’t colleges have some role in this as well? How about they start to actually enforce the law instead of playing blind and deaf when it comes to excessive drinking among their students? Do I want my daughter’s university to start acting like a police unit? Underage drinking is still illegal, last I checked. red wine drink benefitsAnd there’s a reason for that: Most kids can’t handle it. best wines to drink in collegeIs a drunk college kid getting behind the wheel of a car and plowing down pedestrians really all that much different from the one who brings a weapon on campus? where to buy wine in nice franceThe end result is the same: Death.

Death by stupid or death by crazy. Go ahead, give me your best argument for how binge drinking on college campuses is just a rite of passage. I’ll listen, but you won’t likely sway me. I may wear blinders, but I don’t fall for peer pressure.Having an active social circle can have a ton of benefits for your professional and personal life. As an adult, that social life can often involve alcohol. If you’re new to the world of drinking, or all you know from your college days is Jägerbombs and keg stands, here’s how to enter the drinking world like an adult.Drinking is always a personal choice. For some, drinking alcohol can lead to problems, for others it’s a light social lubricant. We want to be clear that you should never drink if you feel like you can’t handle the effects of alcohol, if you’re being pressured to against your will, or if it will put you in a compromising situation. While alcohol isn’t bad, you still need to drink responsibly. Start from that point and decide how you want to drink from there.

That being said, alcohol is a lot like food: people like to gather wherever it’s being served, and people like to serve it whenever they get together. Drinking and socializing often go together. If you’re going to an industry event, getting together with your coworkers after hours, or just hanging out at the bar trying to meet new people, you may find yourself in a situation where folks are drinking. Whether you didn’t drink before or all your drinking experience comes from college frat parties, there are certain things you need to know to drink like an adult.Social drinking isn’t like going to the movies or a concert. When you go to a movie with your friends, the movie itself is the point. When you go out drinking, the point is to talk to other people and have fun. Drinking is just something you do to make things a little smoother. That being the case, it’s helpful to know a few tricks so you can get your drinks and get back to what you’re doing.There are a variety of reasons to drink with a group.

Sometimes you want to make a work connection. Sometimes you want to make new friends. Sometimes you want a date. However, no matter the purpose or the context, there are certain things that are universal and they all tend to boil down to one principle: Don’t be an asshole. It’s really easy for your inner asshole to come out when you’re drinking. If you can’t drink without groping a stranger, yelling at a bartender, picking a fight, or generally being obnoxious, then either learn from the people around you or skip the bar altogether.Much like what you wear, what you drink can be totally fine in one setting, but completely unacceptable in another. (You wouldn’t take a jug of whiskey to a black tie cocktail party.) While some settings are more flexible than others, knowing what types of drinks are acceptable at various events can help you be more prepared.Beer is a casual drink that’s typically appropriate at most informal settings. If you’re meeting at a bar, inexpensive restaurant, or someone’s home, beer is often an easy go-to.

Most beers have between a 4-6% alcohol content (though some can go higher). Unless you have an exceptionally low tolerance, you can usually have one or two without feeling a noticeable impaired effect.This makes beer a perfect drink for the “getting to know people” phase. If you want to have a sustained conversation with someone or discuss anything important, sticking to beer is usually safer. You don’t want to be negotiating a contract and discover you’ve had one cocktail too many right before you’re asked to sign away a board seat.As an alcoholic beverage, wine is in its own category. Socially, though, let’s be honest: wine is fancy beer. If you want a light drink that’s in a stemmed glass rather than bottle with a Miller Lite sticker on it, wine is your go-to drink. Wine’s alcohol content is typically higher than beer (in the range of 9-16%), but you’ll probably drink less of it at a time (unless you’re Cersei Lannister).A cocktail is any alcoholic drink mixed from usually three or more ingredients.

In other words, nearly every drink that doesn’t come in a pre-packaged bottle. Any place that has bar service can probably offer you up a mixed drink, but the range can vary wildly. An actual bar may be furnished to serve a wide variety of cocktails. A pop-up bar stand, like the kind you may see at a convention or play house, may only be capable of serving a few, limited drinks. Sometimes a bar may have a list of the only cocktails they offer.In general, it’s handy to have one or two very simple cocktails in your repertoire that are easy for your bartender to make. Don’t be the jerk who walks up to a small cocktail stand and orders a complex drink, made just the right way (pro tip: James Bond is a jerk). Also keep in mind that even standard cocktails can vary wildly in alcohol content from bar to bar. Don’t start ordering follow up drinks until you give yourself a few minutes to see how you handle the first one, even if you think you know your tolerance.Generally speaking, “doing shots” is code for “we need to get drunker faster.”

While there probably won’t be too many professional gatherings where folks are doing shots, it can happen at parties. This involves drinking shot glasses full of straight liquor (or another high-alcohol content drink). If you’ve got a low tolerance, want to stay under control, or just avoid a hangover, minimizing shots (or avoiding them altogether) is probably best.Of course, there’s no hard fast rules for all social settings. You may find yourself at a wedding reception stocked with kegs, or a fancy theater serving cocktails and beer. Be mindful of your settings and see what’s being served. Don’t sneak your own alcohol into an event because you want something stronger than they have. Chances are they have more mild drinks for a reason. Watch what the people around you do and try not to drink ahead.There’s never been a better time to be a drinking connoisseur. Microbrewing has exploded in recent years, which has led to a wider variety of beer than ever before. Mixing cocktails has always been an art, but with the internet you can find more drinks than you even knew existed.

Theming cocktails has even become popular. With so many choices, it can be impossible to not feel overwhelmed when the bartender asks what you want, especially if you aren’t a regular drinker. Here are some ways to help deal with the overflow of choices.If you have no idea what you like, don’t open up the wine menu and expect to have a clue. Ask a friend for their suggestions. Find a list of basic wines, beers, or cocktails for beginners. The more you try, the more you’ll figure out what you like and you can go from there. If you find something you like, try searching for more drinks like it. Many bars offer a small list of cocktails for you to browse, though they’re capable of making many more. If you’re not sure what’s available, stick to the selection you’re given.Sometimes you might catch a little flak for drinking something that’s tailored for the light drinker, but they exist for a reason. Alcohol is harsh and many drinks are an acquired taste. While there’s no way to know what you’ll like before you try, there are a few things that are easier on the palate than others:Your palate is entirely your own, so if you find something you like, don’t feel like you have to abide by certain rules.

Personally, I can’t stand the taste of most beer, but I enjoy fruity ciders, and inexplicably find Canadian whiskey delightfully smooth (for a whiskey). Importantly, don’t be afraid to own your tastes. This isn’t college anymore. You don’t get points with your boss because someone made fun of your “girly drink” and talked you into doing shots of bourbon.Wine and beer tastings are becoming all the more common as the variety of available drinks continues to explode. You can visit a local winery or brewery to try a few samples, or even visit a full blown tasting event. Sometimes third-parties will have an event where you can try drinks from a variety of distributors. There, you’ll be able to taste a wider selection of drinks than you’d get if you had to buy each one at a bar. They’re also pretty fun events in general, so take some friends!There are so many types of drinks in the world that it would be nearly impossible to explain them all in one sitting. In fact, the bartenders that serve you often take lengthy classes to learn, or have years of experience with the drinks they serve.