A clear head beats student binge drinking

"I don't have a drinking problem except when I can't get a drink" is the philosophy of American songwriter Tom Waits. The "problem" seems exacerbated when you are a student in the United States, where alcohol purchase and consumption are strictly regulated by state laws, school administrations and self-righteous classmates. Luckily, Beijing students do not have this problem; moreover, despite the easily available beer and hard liquor on university campuses, real drinking problems seem almost non-existent in Beijing schools.

I did not always think this way. My first week at university here, I was having hotpot with fellow teachers, when we got annoyed by a sophomore at the next table. After drinking 12 bottles of Yanjing beer, he made every effort to befriend us. He managed to break two glasses, spill beer and was almost thrown out of the establishment. Since I was new in Beijing, a drunk student did not surprise me, but my more seasoned colleagues were taken aback.

Beijing students can drink whenever they like. Beer and hard liquor are sold at low prices in on-campus supermarkets, restaurants and even dining halls. But I rarely see Chinese students drinking during the day, with the rare exceptions of a couple of beers for lunch and a few sips of baijiu in the cold lecture halls - to sustain the learning process during Beijing's stern winters.