All You Need to Know to Prevent Yourself From Drinking in Brubonics

by Kelsey Brown

Countless students across the U.S. encounter numerous types of changes when first experiencing the independent lifestyle college presents, many times creating a sense of college-culture-shock. At our beloved Ohio University, though, this shock goes beyond making friends and missing mom, because attending the number two party school has become a bragging right among OU’s students, leaving those unfamiliar with the advanced party scene left to learn from trial and error. Even some students, who may have considered themselves top-notch partiers in high school, find themselves lost in the party jargon of Ohio University. Well, we're professional partiers, here at POISE fashion, and we'd like to help you skip the guts, (in most cases literally speaking) and go straight for the glory. Read on to increase your alcohol awareness, and perfect your party-going skills.

What is alcohol anyway?

Okay, so maybe that's a bit extreme, but seriously, how much do you really know about what you're drinking and the lingo everyone around you is using? Upperclassmen are constantly slipping drinking gibberish into their flashback discussions about last weekend’s (or Tuesday's) party. Beer pong. Nati. Keg stands. Junction Punch. Power hour. 151. Flip cup. Fire Water. Double fisting. Whether you have, or have not yet, had an encounter with one of more of these, remember to drink responsibly and know your limits. Drinking games, bar-hopping, and sipping Cosmopolitans with your girlfriends can be fabulous, but slurring your speech, drooling on your crush, and stumbling in the streets is not. POISE is ready to make you look your best the night of, and feel your best the morning after, if you're ready to accept the responsibility of drinking in moderation. Following along with our own version of “Dummy's Guide To Drinking,” and not only will you impress your guy friends, but you'll wow the other gals at the party as well.

BEER PONG
You Know You're Watching Beer-Pong When...
you observe numerous tables set up in odd places and without chairs (unless stacked on the chairs). Ping-pong balls are floating in cups of water on the tables or mistakenly lying around the yard or porch, and people are standing at both ends of the table throwing the balls at eachother.
How to Play:
Form two teams, usually made up of two people; however, some people do play one-on-one, and it is possible to add more players, as well. Each team stands at one end of the table, and places 10 plastic cups into the shape of a pyramid directly in front of them, similar to bowling pins. Some play ten-cup and others play six-cup; that is up to the discretion of the players or “house rules.” Each cup contains a small amount of beer, or other alcoholic drink. Starting with Team A, each member takes turns attempting to throw the ping-pong balls into Team B's cups. If team A makes a cup, a member of team B must drink the contents of that cup and set the cup aside. The game continues, rotating teams until one team is left with only one cup. There are many different ways to finish the game: some rules require the winners to make the shot twice in a row while others give the losing team a chance to shoot and redeem themselves even if the winning team makes the necessary shots. These rules vary from house to house. Basically, the object of the game is to make your opponent drink all all of their cups. In some cases, the losing team also drinks the remaining beer from the cups of the winning team.

KEG STAND
Expert drinkers only, newcomers beware!
A keg party is not complete without keg stands, though keg stands are only for expert drinkers and are definitely not recommended to those who are drinking for his or her first times. Ladies, leave this one to the fellas.
How to Spot One:
A keg stand requires a keg and at least four people: a tap-holder, usually two lifters, and obviously the person doing the keg stand. Counters are also necessary, but the tap-holder, the lifters, or both, can play that role. The person doing the keg stand, the “keg stander,” puts both hands on the keg. The lifters lift his or her legs so the keg stander is now doing somewhat of a handstand on the keg. The tap-holder holds the tap in the person’s mouth and after a “ready, set, go,” holds the tap so an abundance of beer flows into the keg stander’s mouth. As soon as the tap-holder says, “go,” the counters begin counting. Long-lasting keg stands usually get a few good cheers, and it’s always fun for those high achievers to brag about it later. Keep in mind that a good time on a keg stand is not like a good time in a race. Longer times are better in this case.

POWER HOUR
Great For Pre-Gamin' It Up!
Power Hour is often played as a “pre-game,” meaning before actually hitting the parties or the bars. Because each player will drink about 6 beers by the end of an hour, Power Hour can either be especially fun for more experienced drinkers, or it can cause serious intoxication for any 'light-weights' attempting to play - so be smart and know your limits.
How To Play:
Whether you're a Power Hour Pro, or a Two-Beer-Queer, grab a shot glass, a beer, and some friends. It's easiest to play with a Power-Hour sound-track, which switches songs every minute to help keep players on track. You can find these on iTunes, cdigx, or any other down-loading venue you're familiar with. Once you have all of the above, start your sound-track. At the start of each song, aka minute, take a shot of beer - at the end of the hour you should have taken 60 shots of beer. If you're not accustmed to shots, or 6 beers under an hour, take a drink each minute instead of a shot. You'll go through about 3 beers, instead of 6. If you're really serious, you can add rules for penalizing those who miss a minute or need to go to the bathroom before the hour is up. This is less of a game and more of a get-drunk-quick tactic, so if you're not looking for a quick-fix, opt for another game.

FLIP CUP
Great for Friendly Competition!
This is usually an entertaining game for both the competitors and the observers. It is also is a great game for bigger crowds because more people can play. Generally the game is played four on four or five on five; however, you can have as many players as you would like.
How to Play:
Divide you and your fellow partiers into two teams, then separate yourself on opposite sides of a bar, table, etc. Flip cup is a relay race to see who can drink their beer and flip their cup the fastest, so get ready to get on your mark! Each person should fill a plastic cup about halfway with beer and set in front of themself. The game begins when someone drops a cup, and then the first person on each team chugs their beer and then sets their empty cup upright on the table so it is slightly off the edge of the table. Then, they attempt to flip their cups so they fall upside down. As soon as the first person has their cup flipped upside down, the next person begins chugging and repeats what the first person did. This process continues until all the members of one team have chugged their beers and flipped their cups. Flip cup can also be played with other alcoholic beverages and is most commonly known for being a guys vs. girls game.

DOUBLE FISTING
Easy as 1, 2, 3!
Double fisting is a very simple concept. Stack two beers on top of eachother, drink from the top, and Voila! You're officially a double fister! This works best at crowded parties where there is the possibility of (gasp) running out of beer.