Like so many of my peers, my state of existence can generally be summed up in a collection of the finest memes and GIFs. I belong to a group chat with some of my greatest friends, where the shared content is almost strictly these kinds of images along with their respective hilariously relatable captions. Inevitably, these images conjure up some sort of crazy memory we’ve shared together and references to these moments, of course, bring the best giggles. But instead of seeing something that begs me to bring up “that one time,” the immediate thought is often becoming “those couple dozen times,” or even “me on a daily basis,” so yes, I see the point in these viral gems, and I thoroughly enjoy weeding through every single one of them.
To be honest, most of the time I am completely one with the wine bottle-wielding corgi buried in a sofa or the hyped up goat leaping in between his friends; the term “spirit animal” is no exaggeration, as there could just as easily be photo evidence of me partaking in what is essentially the human equivalent of identical behavior. Because these kinds of images have become so incredibly and increasingly popular as my generation has grown, I know I’m not alone in the emotional resonance of said corgi, which is reassuring. But that reassurance, in a way, is a little unsettling. Why are we OK with binging on both Netflix and wine on a consistent basis, and then later have to flood ourselves with caffeine to actually function productively? Maybe a little bit because as far as we can see, which is pretty far in terms of viral trends, everybody is doing it. But we partake mostly because it’s honestly pretty fun about 90 percent of the time, excluding the academic all-nighters and the occasional hangover, but that’s nothing a good nap can’t fix, right? Well. Sometimes right.
I have a friend who happens to exist outside of the aforementioned group chat, who jestingly but repeatedly makes the statement, “it’s not a drinking problem if you’re in college.” Incidentally, he also has an insatiable passion for Starbucks and embracing his inner “basic white girl” with Frappuccinos and vodka-cranberries. He and I have a lot in common, “margs” and “Starbs” included, but that statement always throws me. If it’s OK to behave this way now due to circumstances, when does it stop being OK? When the college ride is over?
The problem with abrupt ends to the mass consumption of caffeine and alcohol is that we are playing around with, and in some cases, thriving and depending on addictive substances to get us through our days, to make us feel better, to relax us or even to prepare us for anything. Right now, it’s hard to see a lot of harm outside of the occasional regret about last night. This is especially true now because everything about this addictive substance culture has seemed to become globally normalized. So it’s OK to push yourself or live a little and have the college experience, because if not now, when? But watch yourself, and don’t let the fun turn into dismissiveness.
