When it comes to drinking, what does it mean to “know your limit“? Here are tips to help you prevent alcohol abuse and learn when to stop.
In this post:
How much alcohol is too much?
There’s no simple answer to this question. If you’re going to drink alcohol, you need to learn how to make this judgment call. You can try to figure out your blood alcohol content, but that’s just part of the story. What does it mean to “reach your limit”?
Here are some common sense college student alcohol safety tips to keep in mind the next time you’re out drinking and are wondering if it’s time to quit– or, in some cases if you have a problem with alcohol addiction and abuse.
Losing Your Inhibibitions Versus Losing Control
First of all, there’s a thin line between losing your inhibitions and losing control of yourself, and that’s the line you don’t want to cross. When a person loses control of how they are acting, they may put themselves and other people in danger.
Second, there’s a point when the lousy effects of alcohol outweigh the fun effects. If you feel good after four drinks, this doesn’t mean you’ll feel good after eight drinks, when you’re puking and hungover and feel like you’ve been run over by a rhinoceros. More is not better. The number of drinks you can handle comfortably is different for everyone, of course, but that number may be lower for you than you think.
Avoid Binge Drinking
Binge drinking is the consumption of about four drinks in a two-hour period (for males) and three drinks in a two-hour period (for females). Some fraternities and/or sororities make their pledges binge drink during a hazing ritual, and this is not good as too much alcohol in a short amount of time can potentially lead to alcohol poisoning which could ultimately lead to death.
Reasons for Drinking
Another important point to consider: are you drinking as a part of an evening of fun with your friends, or are you having fun with your friends as a part of an evening of drinking? If you drink, it should be a part of your fun activity, not the fun activity itself. If drinking becomes the primary source of your entertainment on a regular basis, you may be drinking too much. And remember that drinking will not help you meet new people; it may actually hinder new relationships.
Use Your Instincts
Finally, if you’re out drinking and you think you might be at your limit, you probably are! And if your friends think you are at your limit, they are probably right. Remember, it’s highly unlikely that tomorrow morning, you’re going to regret that you didn’t drink enough. It’s much more likely that you’re going to regret getting wasted. So know when to stop.
