April on hooking up

In my intro, I said I'm not much for hooking up because I prefer being in love. And I do.

But I'm not always in a relationship by any means - I am in no way a 'serial monogamist.' There is definitely merit to the idea of hooking up without romantic attachment; it's something to do (to satisfy, if you will) between more serious relationships.

Still, based on the very little experience with this that I do have, I find that purely sexual (that is, non-romantic) lust-induced hooking up doesn't fully satisfy without that emotional factor. I need substance for my mind to stay interested. Like, what am I supposed to think about? Maybe I'm still a little bit prude (I still have a hard time believing people are having sex but I mean, we're in college) but I don't think I'm fully comfortable with hooking up, knowing that it's for sexual needs only. Maybe I'm not that comfortable with myself yet - it's hard to be that intimate with someone else. It's, like, ultimate vulnerability. At least for me.

And to clarify, I define 'hooking up' as anything from making out to sex, and everything in between.

Now, let's talk alcohol. We're in college. We drink. A lot. We get drunk. Often. And uninhibited late-night clouded-judgement hooking up is common. That's a fact. But we like it. (And when I say we, I don't mean to alienate the wholesome morally-upstanding people who prefer sobriety. Kudos!) It definitely leads to awkward mornings after. But I know that I like drinking because of the uninhibitedness - I can be as crazy as my liver will let me, and it's not my fault - it's the 5 shots of Svedka I pounded before going to this frat party. Alcohol allows you to hook up with that guy you've been eyeing but were too shy to meet sober, and you hope that he's less drunk than you because he'll remember everything and you'll just remember that you finally worked up the (drunken) courage to talk to him! We could go on about this topic for years. (Which is why there are guest posts!)

Hooking up is made a million times easier with the presence of alcohol and the acceptance of binge-drinking. Now, is this a good thing or a bad thing? Discuss.

April is nineteen, female, straight and single.