After heading home for the weekend, I was bombarded with questions about how my second semester was going. But even more, I was poked and prodded about how kids at the university spend their free time on the weekend, and the first thing that came to my mind was getting drunk. However, that was not the first thing that came out of my mouth, assuming that my relatives would be mortified knowing that’s how we all spent our time here, so instead I replied with “relax.” I should have realized that such an inquiry would come up. So it got me thinking: Why is Madison so closely affiliated with drinking?

As my freshman year started, I received numerous emails about underage drinking and detox, and I was even required to complete a drinking program before I could enroll for spring classes. It was the first year AlcoholEdu was required, and at the time I took it, I doubted it would really help anything. I figured if college students want to drink, they are going to drink.

By the time the end of welcome week rolled around, 10 students had already been taken to detox with blood alcohol concentrations ranging from 0.3 to 0.37.

In the past, people have even died at UW due to alcohol-related incidents. But why? Is it because they were naïve students who didn’t know exactly what they were getting themselves into?

Let me first clarify that binge drinking is defined as five or more drinks in two hours for men, and four or more for women.

The most important thing here is to look at the big picture. As a state, Wisconsin rates number one for binge drinking. Along with that, research done by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute shows that the annual economic cost of excessive alcohol use in Dane County cost the county $654.8 million in the past years. Binge drinking is responsible for 76 percent of the economic cost of excessive alcohol consumption in Dane County.

Here in the Midwest, we consume a lot of beer and alcohol, eat a lot of brats and cheese and go nuts for Sunday night football. It is part of our culture and has been for as long as many people can remember, and I don’t see that changing anytime in the near future. It has become a standard that many people feel they need to uphold. Binge drinking, and drinking in general, is part of our culture.

Take for instance the Mifflin Street Block Party or even Freakfest. Did you ever count how many sober people you had seen at either event? Didn’t think so. Even game days have become a large drinking event, especially when it’s a night game. Some students go out Friday night, get drunk and are still drunk when they wake up the next morning. Yet students continue to drink until the start of the game. People are often influenced by local norms and by what they see modeled around them, especially college-aged students since college is a place people work hard to fit in and identify with their peers, causing them to do anything.

Take for instance the fact that it’s not completely absurd to drink with your family; in any case, I know it’s a lot more prevalent than people think. It’s a learned behavior and for some a custom handed down. On game days, it’s the norm to see a kid and his parents having a beer together. If you’re lucky, you will see one of his parents doing a beer bong. It may sound absurd, but be sure to hit up West Breeze before the next game, and I promise it won’t disappoint.

So, how much is too much? Are these statistics alarming or are they simply the norm? When does this norm become a problem for the state’s youth or is it already? How far will things go before significant changes come? The real problem here is how to stop this, because I honestly don’t believe there is a way we can. When something is so expected, it becomes a reality. I can fully understand the perception that Wisconsin is a party school, but then again what college kids don’t enjoy a little fun on the weekends? UW may be a large party school, but we are pretty kickass at some other things too, things that should definitely be more focused on.

Allie Ebben ([email protected]) is a freshman majoring in nursing with a certificate in gender and women’s studies.