At the ripe age of 21, I attended my first ever blogging conference, BlogU 2015. As the official baby of the tribe, I learned so much from bloggers I’ve looked up to for quite some time to prep my blog and brand for expansion and monetization. Fighting through a migraine the entire weekend, I eagerly attended the sessions on Instagram, Pinterest, professionalism, and more. I fervently took notes and acted more studious than I do in some of my undergraduate courses. When night fell, I retreated. Social hours during this conference were a low-key nightmare. First, there was an abundance of alcohol. Alcohol at what I considered a professional networking event. I get we’re all adults here, but that isn’t exactly how I “put my best foot forward.” Let’s face it – People made me feel awesome by saying things like “I was so not this prepared at your age” and “Your blog will be great when you’re my age.” The comments were kind, overall, but I still took away the impression that very few people took me seriously or recognized the commitment I have to my blog. Did I mention I don’t have a child? Oh yes, in fact, I am not a parent. If nothing else, this was the sheer reasoning behind my lack of connections at BlogU. Shout out to the mommy bloggers doing their thing, but I have a puppy. Does that count? Because I am 21, childless, and an undergraduate, I should be fully embracing the rite of passage of youth afforded to me aka chalking up bad decisions to “college.” Right?
During the one social event I attended, I was pitched with a proposition to consider how alcohol consumption, media, conversation, and more are affecting our children. Well, their children. In reality, many bloggers at the conference told me I could be their child, so it was pretty hard not to feel like one in this instance. I got the impression that some individuals joking about checking my ID at the door would later write me in as a punchline in their #TalkEarly posts. With a full solo cup of white wine in my hand to feel *less* like a child, I listened to the presentation from Responsibility.org, a foundation leading the fight against drunk driving and underage drinking, give the call to action to #RefreshYourFunny, or to stop making alcohol the punchline. There were individuals, as indicated by side-chatter, who found the campaign ridiculous, and likewise those who had apparent internal crises when considering how their interactions with alcohol could impact their children. I, for one, found the presentation itself a little on the dry side and somewhat of a buzz kill, literally, during what was supposed to be a “pep rally” for the conference weekend. It wasn’t until I came home, considered the challenge with which we had been presented, and also reflected on my experiences with alcohol that I decided to give feedback on this campaign.
I am a 21 year old college student from Kentucky. I enjoy alcohol. I like love bourbon. And rum. And the occasional local beer. I’ve got a Pinterest board designated solely to cocktail recipes, visit distilleries for fun, and use empty wine bottles as flower vases. I am likewise an undergraduate pursuing two degrees, balancing two jobs, running a blog, raising a puppy, and trying to maintain some sense of a social life. I’ve had plenty of time to be careless with alcohol (do the math, it’s okay, for I know I have sinned in the eyes of the law), but realized it’s not for me because I have WAY too much ahead. That’s not to say I never drink – but there’s a fine line between responsibility and recklessness that I have seen first-hand too many times. Whether it’s watching someone get carried out of a party to an ambulance by a paramedic weekend after weekend or it’s picking your best friend up out of the middle of a crowded street because he was too drunk to make it to the car you had waiting for him, you begin to realize alcohol really isn’t all that. How many more times do we need to watch DUI arrests and accidents on the evening news or wake up feeling worse than hell frozen over before we realize there isn’t a way to 100% “drink responsibly”? TV shows us it’s inexpensive. Music tells us it will give you a girlfriend (or at least sex). No one is really talking about how much weight you gain from drinking EVERY weekend. But it’s okay because, well, college.
Alcohol can be a beverage when a glass of wine, a beer, or mixed drink is consumed socially with dinner. Alcohol as a beverage, however, is not what makes people laugh. Wild nights, crazy stories, and embarrassing photos don’t come from one glass of Barefoot pink moscato, but teens and some young adults (and their parents!) can’t seem to strike a balance between casual, calculated drinking, and a few too many. Perhaps if we spent more time talking about the struggles of a hangover and progressively worsening headache that cripples you for 24 hours post one short-lived night of fun, alcohol would be less of a punch line. If anything will change perspectives, we must stop treating alcohol as a conversational taboo – talk openly about alcohol, how you consume it, what you consider responsible or irresponsible, and what is problematic about popular portrayals of drinking. In the end, everyone has a choice to manage alcohol in their own way – children have much less of a choice because they adopt behaviors of things they see and people they love. In my opinion, #TalkEarly and #RefreshYourFunny are somewhat contradictory campaigns that pit blunt individuals and those who want to “protect” their children against each another in a boxing ring. If you’re worried about how your kid is going to “turn out”, be consistent in your behavior, answer their questions, and ASK THEM QUESTIONS. It’s a revolutionary concept in fact: If you want children to grow into responsible (this word is so convoluted now) adults, treat them like their questions, opinions, and actions have worth. Do not hide from them the realities of the world. Act in a way that you would want someone who looks up to you and you love to act, and never, NEVER lie about your decisions. Telling the truth and speaking frankly and fairly about alcohol are be the best ways to raise socially conscious young adults who can appropriately manage this legal drug.
This piece will be submitted for a written contest sponsored by Responsibility.org, but I am not being compensated for this post. All the opinions are my own.
