Han Qingpei
How often do you see a group of young people without a bottle or two? Well, almost never. Not just that, the hardcore ones down alcohol like they haven’t had a drop of water in days.
Whatever happened to the good ol’ days of sipping martini? Ng Yan Hong of hype magazine finds out.
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Let’s face it. To many teenagers, alcohol consumption is more than just drinking. It has become a social status.
Alcohol is now a natural part of any group gathering, whether it’s a birthday celebration, a house party, or even something as simple as a farewell dinner.
“If you don’t drink, you get weird looks immediately, even from your friends,” said Chang Sherhan, 19, a Temasek Polytechnic student, “It’s like you’re supposed to drink.”
Sherhan was first introduced to alcohol at a class outing 2 years ago. She was 17 at the time, which meant she was below Singapore’s legal age for alcohol consumption of 18 years.
“It didn’t bother me. A few of my friends started drinking at an even earlier age than me,” she said.
When asked whether she thought drinking affects her reputation among friends, she agreed, after a short hesitation. She also mentioned that even though her friends meant no harm, she still felt obliged to share similar habits as them.
“It seemed like offering alcohol to a friend [was] as normal as asking someone to procrastinate,” joked Sherhan, “Not good, but not really damaging either.”
Under the radar
Of course, peer pressure plays a part. It always plays a part. When you were little, your parents might have chosen your friends for you, putting you with other children they knew or liked. Now that you’re older, not only do you block out advice from your parents, you shun them and sometimes do exactly what they don’t want you to do.
And suddenly, the people you cannot live without are – you guessed it – your friends. Sounds familiar?
Daphne Fong, 20, a regular clubber and Zouk member, revealed, “I feel closer to my buddies when we drink together.”
She also admitted that the after effects of alcohol help reduce awkwardness between acquaintances and strangers greatly.
Also, as an air stewardess, she finds that drinking is actually “a useful skill” to have especially when she is overseas.
“Not just us (youths), many people all over the world bond over liquor and it’s almost impossible to find myself in a social setting without it.”
It is common for youths to want to identify with others and compare themselves to their peers. However, what is more worrying is how young people have a habit of throwing labels around.
Nigel Lim, 19, a Singapore Polytechnic student observed, “They say you’re either a goody-two-shoes or you’re an alcohol addict. There’s no in-between.”
Nigel drinks occasionally when he stays out late at pubs or clubs with his friends. He drinks moderately and keeps a lookout for his friends.
“Personally, I think it’s all in the name of good fun as long as we don’t misbehave. I don’t care about labels,” he said.
Risky business
Speaking of misbehaving (and drunk) youths, club owners have stepped up their security. Last October, The Straits Times reported that certain popular clubs are considering raising the age limit to 23-years-old for men because the younger ones are “unable to control themselves” when it comes to drinking.
Club owners and their management will probably not hesitate to increase the age limit. After all, older men are generally more experienced and wealthy. This, in turn, attracts the ladies. And when there are ladies, men will naturally surface. Their business will not be affected.
The solution? Drink in moderation and watch yourselves. And yes, this applies to both guys and girls.
So the next time you toast a friend or hit the bottle, think about the hangovers and possible consequences. In the mean time, here’s to a great year ahead. Bottoms up!
King of Cocktails
www.webtender.com
Picture courtesy of Majestic Bar
Here are the top 3 drinks sliding off the bar tops. hype tells you which of the 3 has the highest alcohol by volume measurement or ABV (%).
Snowball
Consists of: Warninks advocaat, lemonade, lime cordial
A safe, sweet-flavoured drink, Snowball is always a good ‘introductory’ drink for starters.
ABV: 5.5%
Tipsy Scale: 1/5
Jagger Bomb
Consists of: Red Bull energy drink, jagermeister, herbal liqueur
This caffeine-alcohol combo creates a unique “high” which gets you extremely energized.
ABV: 35%
Tipsy Scale: 3/5
Graveyard
Consists of: Bourbon whiskey, gin, rum, scotch, tequila, triple sec, vodka, beer, stout
This drink is not for the faint-hearted. If you’re not a good drinker, you’ll be literally sending yourself to your own grave.
ABV: 60%
Tipsy Scale: 5/5
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Drink, Drank, Not Drunk
Additional reporting by Han Qingpei
Picture courtesy of Zirca
Ever had a night of partying that ended with you getting smashing drunk, puking all over the sidewalk, waking up the next morning with a hideous headache for company, and mortifying photos – most of which you have absolutely no recollection posing for – pasted all over Facebook?
So have we, countless of times.
On a quest to protect ourselves (and you) from future drunk escapades guaranteed to spark in one a strong desire to ‘dig a hole to China’, evil hangovers, and save our livers, the UrbanWire scoured the web and complied a list of tips to avoid a replay of the above nightmarish scene.
1) Eat
Many experienced drinkers will tell you never to go drinking on an empty stomach. Having a meal before a drinking session will help reduce the absorption speed of alcohol into your bloodstream. Many drinkers swear by a meal of starchy, oily food. Apparently, such chows pad your stomach, helping to soak up the booze, and allow the body more time to absorb the alcohol.
2) Drink
Yes drink – not more alcohol but water. In order to best dilute all the booze imbibed, the rule of thumb is to alternate between alcohol and water. This is a great way to keep the drinker from getting dehydrated, and fill the stomach so you will be too full to over drink. Frequent trips to the toilet may also mean one will be too busy to drink past one’s limit.
3) Mixing is a big nono
The general consensus among the drinkers is not to mix your booze. If you’re drinking beer for the night, stick with beer instead of alternating it with other types of alcohol such as vodka or rum. Many people believe that the mixing of drinks will get you drunk faster. Regardless of whether this is fact or fiction; it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Picture courtesy of Zirca
The above tips can only do so much. However, most importantly, the drinker must know his/her limits and drink only in moderation. Imbibing alcohol can be loads of fun, but drinking too much also means having to deal with a huge slew of problems and consequences later.