Binge Drinking, Rape, and Assault: It’s a Feminist Issue

One girl is asking an obvious – and often overlooked – question: why isn’t getting ridiculously drunk an issue that is discussed with the kind of severity reserved for other feminist debates like equal pay for the same work and better healthcare for female-specific ailments?

Her name is Kate Torgovnick and she writes at The Frisky: “Extreme drinking, the kind we see on Jersey Shore, the kind we know goes down on college campuses all across the country, the kind we see around us in bars on weekend nights, the kind that fueled The Hangover, the kind that inspires all those “last night, I was so drunk” stories that people like to tell – regularly puts women in danger in the name of a good time.”

It’s not just an issue of bad behavior, because certainly that is not a gender specific issue when alcohol is involved. Torgovonick cites some pretty disturbing statistics to support her argument that women would be better friends to each other if they didn’t allow each other to get stupidly drunk as a form of entertainment:

• 47 percent of reported rapes involve both a victim and a perpetrator who is drunk.
• In 17 percent of reported rapes, the perpetrator only was drunk.
• In 7 percent of cases, only the victim was drunk.

Based on these facts, Torgovonick says: “This has me wondering if changing our culture – from one where binge drinking is allowed, normalized, and in many situations even encouraged to one where people are urged to know their limits and always have their wits about them – could lead to a significant drop in the number of women who have to endure sexual assaults.”

Torgovonick isn’t a proponent of abstinence for those who aren’t alcoholics or addicts. Rather, she equates sexual assault with cancer and suggest preventative measures like knowing your limits and finding better ways to celebrate than overindulging in alcohol.

She says: “As women, we need to take care of ourselves and each other. And drinking too much too often doesn’t mesh with that goal.”

If one of your friends is struggling with an alcohol problem, you can help her if it seems like she’s unable to help herself. Offer her the option of drug rehab that is provided by women and for women. Contact us today at Orchid Recovery Center for more information on how to get started.