On Feb. 10, I rolled out of bed in the bright and early hours of the morning, eager to hop on the Metrolink and attend the Mardi Gras parade. I was excited to spend a fun day with my friends, enjoying a storied tradition of St. Louis. It was an enjoyable day, filled with great people, good food, and music — memories I will look back on very fondly. Unfortunately, many friends (and strangers) will only be able to recall the events of the day through photos or anecdotes from the people around them. Blackouts, defined as temporary gaps in a person’s memory due to intoxication, have become all too normalized on college campuses throughout the country, and Washington University is no exception. 

The borg (short for blackout rage gallon) is the most blatant evidence of this phenomenon —blacking out is the stated goal. The recipe for a borg includes about a fifth of a vodka handle, which equates to around 16 shots. Most people would never attempt to drink that much in one day, but those reservations seem to go out the window when there is the possibility of adding a delicious flavor and coming up with a clever name (e.g. “Borgan Freeman,” “Borg To Die,” “Phoebe Borgers”). 

Binge drinking in college is so normalized that most people don’t seem to see the problem with it — myself included, until recently. However, when I go out with my friends now it is consistently on my mind. At parties, I have often seen people encouraged to drink until they are sick, throwing up, or blacked out, unable to recall what they did and who they were with the next morning. This is where the fun of drinking slips into more sinister territory. 

Situations like these can be extremely dangerous — beyond the mere feeling of a bad hangover, repeated events of binge drinking can lead to serious health issues, relationship disputes, and academic problems. Especially in young, developing brains, like those of college students, frequent blackouts can severely increase the risk of developing a cognitive disorder. Even on WashU’s campus, with its many resources for support, I don’t see these issues being taken seriously enough.

Rather than discouraging drinking in all forms, something that would be unproductive and nearly impossible in a college environment, it is more important to encourage safe drinking habits. Anyone who has spent time in a residence hall has been educated, to a certain extent, about alcohol safety, whether it’s from a brief spiel by an RA or a poster hanging in the hallway. WashU’s website even has a page about alcohol education, a resource all students should be informed about and encouraged to familiarize themselves with. However, I think that we as a community could be doing a much better job at actually practicing what we preach. When it comes to our health and well-being, we can never be doing too much. 

Remember that drinking should be fun and social, and while holding back your friend’s hair is a good bonding event, it is 100% more fun to bond on the dance floor. College is all about making memories — let’s start by remembering last night.