Gabriel Gonzalez
Student Life Editor
Disclaimer: The Stroud Courier does not condone nor encourage underage drinking, excessive drinking, drinking on campus or dangerous drinking. Please drink responsibly. For more information, refer to the alcohol page in University Policies.
With every new semester and the passing of time, more and more students reach the drinking age of 21. With the newfound opportunity, many students capitalize on it and go a little crazy.
And after interviewing 75 students about their favorite type of alcohol, the Stroud Courier has found some interesting data on what kind of drinks they like to go crazy with and why.
A quick overview of the data provides the favorite alcohol type between liquor, wine and beer. Liquor is in first place with 56 percent of students stating that it’s their favorite. Wine is in second place with a substantial 23 percent of the vote. And close behind that is beer, which lies in last place with 21 percent of students claiming it’s their favorite.
This information is substantiated by other studies with much larger sample sizes, like DoorDash’s order analytics.
“I actually don’t drink, but yeah I’m not totally surprised that liquor would be the most popular choice,” said junior Connor Misko, English major from Cresco, Pa. “It definitely seems like the go-to for parties and stuff.”
According to Colgate University, in their Parent Alcohol Handbook, there are a number of reasons why students choose to drink alcohol—positive and negative.
Negatives include peer pressure and dependence on alcoholic substances. Positives include enhancing a celebration, lowering stress or fitting in. One reason that leans negative would be just filling up the time.
In any case, the causes cited above are fueled by practical goals and limitations. One of the main motivations behind student drinking is the desire to experience inebriation, and the main limitation is cost.
As a result, liquor presents itself as the most cost-effective option. Wine is the second best choice with a higher alcoholic content, though it can be expensive. And beer is the least attractive.
There is also the subject of taste. Liquor, though extremely powerful alone, can be mixed into a myriad of mixed drinks and cocktails.
Interviewed students were also invited to vote on their favorite drink alone. Malibu Rum, with six votes from the 75, took first place as Bud Light came in last with only one.
“Malibu Rum being at the top is surprising,” says Misko. “I don’t know why it would be since I don’t drink, but I feel like I haven’t heard much about it before.”
For more information on how to drink responsibly, refer to the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs page on esu.edu.