Twitter, it seems, is today’s source of all things hilarious. From Shakespeare Lyrics (@ShakespeareSong) to Awkward Girl (@AwkGrlPrblms) to Very Grumpy Cat (@VeryGrumpyCat), you can find just about any kind of Twitter account making fun of just about anything.
One of the most popular of these funny Twitter account is Texts From Last Night (@TFLN) is one of the most popular of these funny Twitter accounts, with over 2.5 million followers. Texts From Last Night displays texts sent from the intoxicated, and followers get to enjoy the drunken nights of others, without directly feeling the unpleasant repercussions.
Here are some recent TFLN tweets:
(717): so hungover. I’m actually considering eating the snow off the roof so I don’t have to leave my bed
(206): I’m running on jager fumes right now. It’s like I put diesel in a prius and said f*** it.
(304): Come to the roof. We are drinking breakfast.
(610): I almost spit out my drink. But only almost, because it was vodka. And you don’t spit out vodka.
While most of us would find these tweets amusing, the very existence of this Twitter account and its prominence among followers signifies a prevalent, important, but largely ignored issue – binge drinking.
Defined as consuming four or more drinks per night for women, binge drinking is a common phenomenon. Cbsnews.com reports that, according to the Center for Disease Control, one in eight women over the age of eighteen admitted that, in 2011, they participated in binge drinking at one time or another. In addition, one in eight women in America admit to binge drinking three times a month.
How many of your friends drink four or more drinks a night? How many do it regularly? More than likely, you know at least one girl, if not many more, who participates in binge drinking.
At most universities, this trend is not uncommon. Whether or not you participate in the drinking culture of college, its existence is obvious to most students. However, the long-term consequences of this behavior are rarely discussed.
Aside from the short-term consequences of heavy drinking, which include the potential for drunken driving, irresponsible decisions, and alcohol poisoning, there are many long-lasting effects of binge drinking that can affect the drinker’s life for many years to come.
According to the same article from cbsnews.com, the CDC reports that, “Binge drinking costs 23,000 lives and 633,000 years of potential life lost (YPLL) each year during 2001 through 2005 for women and girls in the U.S.” In addition to this, a woman’s risk of breast cancer, heart disease, STD’s, and other health problems increases when she binge drinks.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a low-risk female drinker consumes three or less drinks in one night and at most seven drinks in a week. Exceeding this limit increases a woman’s risk of becoming dependent on alcohol.
Some of these statistics may shock you. While it is a considerable amount, four drinks may seem small when placed in the context of a college party scene. Don’t let the culture of college lull you into a false sense of security.
When done in moderation, drinking can be safe and fun, but when taken to unnecessary excesses, it can have far-reaching and serious consequences. So next time you’re contemplating a night out, go for it! But remember, the decisions you make now can have a tremendous and long-lasting impact on your life. Don’t become tomorrow’s Text From Last Night.
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