Websites for Drinking Games Disputed

Drinking games and binge drinking are common among young people. College campuses are often settings for this kind of dangerous behavior, and school officials and parents worry about the safety of young people drinking to get drunk. That’s why many people are upset about the number of websites that are dedicated to teaching young people the ins and outs of drinking games.

Knowing How to Drink Responsibly

The websites are all over the Internet, but one in particular is catching some heat in Maine. Launched last week by a former US Navy Chief and a former US Navy Fireman, the site lists various drinking games and how to play them. When asked about critics of the site, owner Jack O’Reilly said, “I served 23 years in the Navy, and you can bet we did a lot of drinking. And we played our share of drinking games too. No one ever got hurt; we had a lot of fun – but we could handle it.” (1) Co-owner RJ Anayjuan agrees. “If you’re not able to moderate your drinking, then you shouldn’t drink. It doesn’t matter whether you’re playing pool, dancing at the club, or whether you’re playing Kings. For instance, I’m not much of a drinker at all, but I’ve played my share of drinking games. I might only take a sip instead of a swill, or I might have nothing but water in my glass. Plenty of adults get together and have a great time with alcoholic beverages and never get rowdy or drive drunk or anything stupid.” (1)

The site does have a disclaimer that states people shouldn’t drink if they are underage, that they shouldn’t drink and drive, and that the games “should only be played by responsible adults who are able to successfully and safely manage their alcohol intake. Anything less is irresponsible and this site cannot condone any other behavior.” (1) The site also indicates that it will donate some of its proceeds to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

Making Binge Drinking Appealing for Young Adults

That’s not good enough, according to many viewers of the site and others like it. Other than one page of a simple disclaimer, there is no instruction on how to drink responsibly, or warnings that many young people die or are hurt from binge drinking every year.

The problem of binge drinking is still on the rise. An Associated Press analysis of federal records found that 157 college-age people, 18 to 23, drank themselves to death from 1999 through 2005. The number of alcohol-poisoning deaths per year rose from 18 in 1999 to 35 in 2005. (2) Many more people are injured or suffer consequences from binge drinking, such as unsafe sex and drug abuse. “There have always been problems with young people and alcohol, but it just seems like they are a little more intense now than they used to be,” said Connie Gores, vice president for student life at Winona State. “The goal of a lot of them is just to get smashed.” (2)