Even though the common assumption is that most first year Rhode’s students are alcoholics or on the verge of being alcoholics I beg to differ. I am not an alcoholic or even on the verge of being one for I don’t even touch alcohol. My best friend at Rhodes Bianca also does not drink and neither do a whole other bunch of people that I know.
So by assuming that, you are in fact stereotyping and labeling a minority group as the majority. And the fact of the matter is that just because the Rhodes first year student may on occasion enjoy a drink here and there they are not necessarily alcoholics or even close to it, but simply fun party goers looking for a drink to boost their confidence or increase their level of fun. For it is true that alcohol does indeed add that extra something to the party. Of course there will always be a few people who will over drink but that still doesn’t make them alcoholics.
An alcoholic is a person affected with alcoholism, this means that he has an addiction to the substance and can not go a day without it and I do not believe that any of my friends who do indeed consume alcohol have an addiction to it and need it for their daily survival. And even though I’ll admit that sometimes when alcohol is indeed consumed by my friends it may be over done but it doesn’t happen all the time and therefore cannot be classified as an addiction, a problem or anything close to either. Of course I am not denying that there are a few first year Rhodes’ students out there who may in fact be alcoholics or on the verge of alcoholism however that is simply the minority and not the majority which is why I believe that the statement is stereotyping and enforcing an opinion which is incorrect.
The reason why the statement that ‘most first years at Rhodes verge on being alcoholics’ caught my attention is because it is something I can relate to even though I do not drink. And the fact that I do not consume any type of alcohol is what in fact helps me relate to this topic because I find the stereotype present in my everyday life and even back home away from Rhodes. The shock which is expressed by people when they find out that I am a Rhodes student who doesn’t drink and a first year at that, is overwhelming at times. It annoys me that people automatically link Rhodes students with alcohol rather then all the other amazing things which us 'alcoholics' do on a daily bases, in between our drinking and sober moments. It is true that Rhodes’ students are in fact infamous for their parties but I think I am one example that shows that a Rhodent can have fun without alcohol. And I am not the only one for I have a whole group of friends who do not drink alcohol or do not drink a lot and still have the most amazing fun evenings out. It is more the people you party with rather then the amount of alcohol you consume which makes Rhodes the best place to party.
So by assuming that, you are in fact stereotyping and labeling a minority group as the majority. And the fact of the matter is that just because the Rhodes first year student may on occasion enjoy a drink here and there they are not necessarily alcoholics or even close to it, but simply fun party goers looking for a drink to boost their confidence or increase their level of fun. For it is true that alcohol does indeed add that extra something to the party. Of course there will always be a few people who will over drink but that still doesn’t make them alcoholics.
An alcoholic is a person affected with alcoholism, this means that he has an addiction to the substance and can not go a day without it and I do not believe that any of my friends who do indeed consume alcohol have an addiction to it and need it for their daily survival. And even though I’ll admit that sometimes when alcohol is indeed consumed by my friends it may be over done but it doesn’t happen all the time and therefore cannot be classified as an addiction, a problem or anything close to either. Of course I am not denying that there are a few first year Rhodes’ students out there who may in fact be alcoholics or on the verge of alcoholism however that is simply the minority and not the majority which is why I believe that the statement is stereotyping and enforcing an opinion which is incorrect.
The reason why the statement that ‘most first years at Rhodes verge on being alcoholics’ caught my attention is because it is something I can relate to even though I do not drink. And the fact that I do not consume any type of alcohol is what in fact helps me relate to this topic because I find the stereotype present in my everyday life and even back home away from Rhodes. The shock which is expressed by people when they find out that I am a Rhodes student who doesn’t drink and a first year at that, is overwhelming at times. It annoys me that people automatically link Rhodes students with alcohol rather then all the other amazing things which us 'alcoholics' do on a daily bases, in between our drinking and sober moments. It is true that Rhodes’ students are in fact infamous for their parties but I think I am one example that shows that a Rhodent can have fun without alcohol. And I am not the only one for I have a whole group of friends who do not drink alcohol or do not drink a lot and still have the most amazing fun evenings out. It is more the people you party with rather then the amount of alcohol you consume which makes Rhodes the best place to party.
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The Journal of the American Medical Association defines alcoholism as "a primary, chronic disease characterized by impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking." According to this definition, an alcoholic is not in fact simply someone who has to drink each and every day as is defined by this opinion piece. Therefore the entire argument is flawed, because as I am sure you will agree, there are more than just a few Rhodents who use alcohol despite its adverse consequences and beyond the limitations at which their thinking becomes distorted. Technically, according to the definition by the Journal of the American Medical Association most Rhodes students in fact balance on the verge of alcoholism, or have toppled over it. So as a counterargument to your argument that most first year Rhodes students are not alcoholics, I would put it to you to consider that most in fact are, and I would ask you to look for a reliable medical definition of what alcoholism is before assuming that your opinion is correct. Also consider the matter of “binge alcoholics” who do not need to drink every day, but still get completely drunk on a regular basis.
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