There are many reasons why people drink. It makes a party fun, it’s impolite to refuse, and it’s just expected sometimes.
The lesser known reasons of why people drink have to do with gender.
For women, drinks consumed are different than that of what men drink. Women often only choose to drink if they know where they can possibly become sick, if they have help or friends nearby, and if they’ll potentially pass out. As for choice of drink, males tend to drink beer and women often choose to drink liquor. Unlike girls, guys don’t mind passing out outside. Women will try to find a room or bathroom if they feel like passing out. If a friend seems to be really sick, women will intervene to make sure their friend is okay. Men tend to avoid helping since it makes their friend seem weak.
Both sexes feel the pressure to drink and become drunk. Even if they drink the same amount of alcohol as men, women will achieve greater amounts of alcohol in the blood and become more disabled. The pressure to live up to drinking stereotypes comes from advertising. Alcohol companies are attempting to sell perceptions. Seeing the cool and popular actors in the commercials and the beautiful girls in the magazine ads drinking alcohol triggers the mind to desire to live up to the same standards.
When drinking, males are more prone to do something more unsafe than they would already do. With girls, it’s what’s going on all around them that’s more harmful when they’ve been drinking. Also, women are more vulnerable than men to alcohol-related internal bodily damage and to distress derived from accidents and relationship violence.
Both sexes find drinking games like beer pong and doing shots helps alleviate awkwardness and opens up room for conversation and belongingness. Many people feel that drinking makes it easier to socialize. However, if a girl is drinking and goes too far, she is stereotyped as a “skank.” If a guy gets too drunk, he’s just having fun and he’ll still go home with someone that night.
Regardless of one’s reason for drinking, habits have a lot to do with one’s gender and the stereotypes that go along with it.
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