Page 104 - Malcolm Gladwell - Talking to Strangers

writes, “For the supercompetitive, Sharpie pens were used to tally the number of drinks on your arm, establishing a ratio of
drinks to the time it takes to black out—a high ratio was a source of pride among the guys.” She continues:
The way we as students treat the blacking out of our peers is also partly responsible for its ubiquity. We actually think it’s funny. We
joke the next day about how ridiculous our friends looked passed out on the bathroom floor or Snapchatting while dancing and
making out with some random guy, thus validating their actions and encouraging them to do it again. Blacking out has become
so normal that even if you don’t personally do it, you understand why others do. It’s a mutually recognized method of stress
relief. To treat it as anything else would be judgmental.
6 Nor is it just a matter of weight. There are also meaningful differences in the way the sexes metabolize alcohol. Women have
much less water in their bodies than men, with the result that alcohol enters their bloodstream much more quickly. If a 195.7-
pound female matches a 195.7-pound male drink for drink over four hours, he’ll be at 0.107. She’ll be at 0.140.
7 Adults feel quite differently. Fifty-eight percent of adults think “drinking less” would be very effective in reducing sexual
assault.