How to Get Through College and Drink Alcohol Like an Adult
Having an active social circle can have many benefits for your professional and personal life . In adulthood, this social life is often associated with alcohol. If you’re new to the world of booze, or all you know from your college days are Jägerbombs and keg coasters, here’s how to enter the booze world as an adult.
Drinking is always a personal choice. For some, drinking can lead to problems; for others, it is a mild social lubricant. We want to make it clear that you should never drink if you feel like you cannot deal with the effects of alcohol, if you are under pressure against your will, or if it puts you in a compromise situation. While alcohol is not a bad thing, it still needs to be treated responsibly. Start at this point and decide how you want to drink from there.
That being said, alcohol is a lot like food: people like to gather where it is served, and people like to serve it when they get together. Drinking and socializing often go hand in hand. Whether you’re going to an industry event, getting together with coworkers after hours, or just hanging out at the bar trying to meet new people, you may find yourself in a situation where people are drinking. Whether you have drunk before, or all of your drinking experience is with student drinking, there are certain things you need to know in order to drink as an adult.
Learn the jargon and customs of your drinking circle
Social drunkenness is not about going to the movies or going to a concert. When you go to the movies with friends, the main thing is the movie. When you go out for a drink, it’s about talking to other people and having some fun. Drinking is just what you do to make life a little smoother. If that’s the case, it’s helpful to know a few tricks to get your drinks back and get back to what you are doing.
- Make sure you know your drink ahead of time. Most of the time, no one wants to sit back while you figure out the difference between Tom Collins and the cosmopolitan. It’s okay to experiment, but you should drink at least one or two of the main drinks that can be found almost everywhere. Helps if you drink for different types of drinks. A regular cocktail, beer, and your favorite wine should suffice for most situations.
- Learn how to talk to bartenders. Don’t learn to talk to bartenders from a TV show. Even on semi-common nights, they are probably overworked and work for a tip. Don’t wave money to the bartender. Don’t ask for complex drinks that need to be prepared correctly . Just stand right outside the bar and look at your bartender . They will get to you. Once you get their attention, make a request, and when you’re done, leave.
- Set your limit and pay cash where you can. The more you drink, the less likely you are to exercise restraint. This is how booze works. If you want to set a hard limit on your spending before the start of the night, pay in cash . For bartenders, this might be easier than remembering who is on which tab and keeping track of receipts at the end of the night. It is easy for you to know when you have drunk. When you run out of cash, you’re done.
- Know when to stop. This can be tricky, so knowing your limit is important. There are many social cues that can indicate that it is time to stop drinking . If you have trouble walking in a straight line, if the bar has stopped serving drinks, or if everyone you talk to is drunk, dial back. Drinking and getting drunk are two different activities. If you wanted to do one thing and moved on to another, slow down.
There are many reasons to have a drink with a company. Sometimes you want to connect with work. Sometimes you want to make new friends. Sometimes you want a date. However, regardless of purpose or context, there are certain things that are universal, and they all tend to boil down to one principle: don’t be an asshole. When you’re drinking, it’s very easy for your inner asshole to come out. If you can’t drink without groping for a stranger, yelling at the bartender, getting into a fight, or acting unpleasant, then either learn from others or skip the bar altogether.
Find out which drinks are right for each situation
Like what you wear, what you drink may be perfectly normal in one setting, but completely unacceptable in another. (You wouldn’t take a jug of whiskey to a cocktail party with a black tie.) While some settings are more flexible than others, knowing what types of drinks are acceptable at different events can help you prepare better.
Beer
Beer is a casual drink that tends to be appropriate in the most informal setting. Whether you’re meeting in a bar, inexpensive restaurant, or at someone’s home, beer is often an easy target. Most beers have an alcohol content of 4 to 6% (although some may be higher). Unless you have exceptionally low tolerance, you can usually take one or two without feeling any noticeable deterioration in effect.
This makes beer the perfect drink for meeting people. If you want to have an extended conversation with someone or discuss something important, it is usually safer to stick to beer. You don’t want to negotiate a contract and find that you drank too much of one cocktail right before being asked to give up your board seat .
Wine
As an alcoholic beverage, wine belongs to a separate category. Socially, let’s be honest: wine is a great beer. If you want a light drink in a stemmed glass rather than a Miller Lite bottle, wine is your best bet. Wine is usually higher in alcohol than beer ( 9 to 16% ), but you will probably drink less at a time ( unless you are Cersei Lannister ).
Cocktails
A cocktail is any alcoholic beverage, usually with three or more ingredients. In other words, almost every drink that is not sold in a prepackaged bottle. Any place that has a bar can probably offer you a mixed drink, but the selection can vary a lot. A real bar can be equipped to serve a wide variety of cocktails. A pop-up bar counter, like the one you might see at a convention or in a playhouse, may only be able to serve a few limited drinks. Sometimes the bar may have a list of the only cocktails they offer.
In general, it is helpful 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 counter and orders a complex drink made right (pro tip: James Bond is a jerk). Also keep in mind that even standard cocktails can vary greatly in alcohol content from one bar to another. Don’t start ordering subsequent drinks until you’ve given yourself a few minutes to see how you handle the first, even if you think you know your tolerance.
Shots
Generally speaking, “injecting” is code that means “we need to get drunk faster.” While there probably won’t be too many professional gatherings where people will be filming, it can happen at parties. This includes glasses filled with alcoholic beverages (or other beverages with a high alcohol content). If you have low tolerance, want to stay in control, or just avoid a hangover , it is best to keep your shots to a minimum (or avoid them altogether).
Of course, there are no hard and fast rules for all social media. You might find yourself at a keg-filled wedding reception or a trendy theater serving cocktails and beer. Remember your settings and see what is being served. Don’t use your own alcohol at the event because you want something stronger than they are. Most likely, they consume lighter drinks for some reason. Observe what the people around you are doing and try not to drink ahead of time.
Choose your regular drink
Now is the perfect time to become a drinker. In recent years, microbrewing production has become very popular , resulting in a wider range of beers than ever before. Mixing cocktails has always been an art, but you can find more drinks online than you even imagined. Themed cocktails have even become popular. With so many options available, it’s impossible not to feel overwhelmed when the bartender asks what you want, especially if you don’t drink regularly. Here are some ways to help you cope with excess choice.
Narrow down your choices
If you don’t know what you like, don’t open the wine list and expect to have a hint. Ask a friend about their suggestions. Find a list of essential wines , beers, or cocktails for starters. The more you try, the more you will understand what you like and will be able to continue. If you find something that you like, try searching for more similar drinks. Many bars offer you a small cocktail list, although they can do much more. If you are unsure of what is available, stick to the choice given to you.
Start with a Newbie-Friendly Choice
Sometimes you may feel a slight dislike for drinking something that is meant for low-drinkers, but there is a reason for that. Alcohol is harsh and many drinks are palatable. While there is no way to know what you like before you try it, there are a few things that seem easier than others:
- Ciders: Ciders are in a bizarre intermediate stage between beer and wine. They are fermented with yeast, like beer, but made from fruits, like wine. Cider is also delicious, even if you don’t like beer or wine. Try a few ciders to see what flavors you like and cheer them up if there are no other drinks you like.
- Wheat beer: I’ll be honest: I’m not a beer lover . However, wheat beers are often less harsh and do not have such a strong “beer flavor”. If you are not used to the taste of beer, but want to try it, inquire about the available wheat beers.
- White wines: In general, red wines have a richer flavor than white wines. While this is not an absolute rule, if you are not sure what you are getting, go for something lighter in color.
- Anything fruity: This can refer to wine, beer, or cocktails. Anything that is made to taste fruity will be easier on the tongue than ice scotch.
Your taste is entirely yours, so if you find something that you like, do not feel that you have to follow certain rules. Personally, I hate the taste of most beers, but I love fruit cider and inexplicably find Canadian whiskey deliciously bland (for a whiskey). It’s important to note that don’t be afraid to own your own tastes. It’s not college anymore. You don’t get points with your boss because someone made fun of your “girly drink” and talked you into making glasses of bourbon.
Try a tasting event
Wine and beer tastings are becoming more common as the variety of drinks available continues to grow. You can visit a local winery or brewery to sample a few samples, or even attend a full-blown tasting. Sometimes a third party has an event where you can sample drinks from different distributors. There you can taste a wider selection of drinks than if you had to buy each one at the bar. All in all these are pretty fun activities as well, so bring your friends with you!
Search the Internet
There are so many types of drinks in the world that it is almost impossible to explain them all in one sitting. In fact, the bartenders serving you often take lengthy lessons to learn, or have years of experience with the drinks they serve. If you want to look more like what you are talking about, head over to Google in your spare time and learn a little about the main types of wine , beer, and spirits . You don’t need to know the exact fermentation process for each one, but knowing what they are, how they usually taste, and where you find them can give your choices some context.
There are as many varieties of drinks as there are styles of clothing, ways to have fun and colors in the visible spectrum. Regardless of where you start, research is key. You’ll find drinks (and people!) That you enjoy trying new things and indulging your curiosity.