We’re continuing the “God & Pledging” section of The Greek and Christian Podcast this week with an episode all about drinking. It’s a familiar question for most Greeks - how do I navigate the drinking culture in Greek life? Tori Castek, Greek IV staff and Purdue Kappa Alpha Theta alumna, joins us and shares what this looked like for her. Here are the basics - if you resonate with any of it, be sure to listen to the episode!
Freshman/Sophomore Tori
She decided to wait until she turned 21 to drink, so the first half of college she went out with her sisters and stayed sober. She realized along the way that this decision was mainly just one of principle and fear of possible penalties for drinking underage, not for faith reasons.
Junior/Senior Tori
She turned 21 at the start of her junior year. Now she is more committed to her faith, so she is trying to drink in a way that honors Jesus. It’s not a perfect journey, but she learns a lot about grace and authenticity along the way.
Quick Tips
She shares more in the episode, but here are some of our faves.
Pray
1 Corinthians 10:13
13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Tori would pray this verse to remind her that God would provide a way for her to endure temptation. She’d let it come to mind when she knew she was reaching the limit she’d set for herself.
The 5 "Why?"s
Why do you not drink?
Well, I’ve decided I’m not going to before I’m 21.
Why?
Well it’s a principle thing.
Why?
Actually I’m scared of getting a drinking ticket.
And so on and so forth. Ask why 5 times to get to the core of what’s actually going on. The more honest you’re able to be with yourself, the more honest you can be with God. Jesus can take you so much farther when you’re being honest with him.
Wrapping Up
Drinking is a huge topic to navigate within Greek life. From the ultra common question of “are you judging me?” if you choose not to drink to struggling with knowing how much is too much - there’s a lot to factor in! Not only does this question have to do with you individually, it also has a huge impact on the people around you. As we shared in the episode, God is just as present in a fraternity basement or a bar as He is in a church service. We hope this episode can help you cultivate a greater awareness of God’s presence with you and what that means for your relationship to drinking.
Getting Connected
If you’re hearing this and you’re thinking I want a mentor like Tori, we have resources to help you navigate being Greek and Christian. All you have to do is go to our homepage, fill out the contact card, and we’ll get in touch with you. Or you can follow us on Instagram @greekiv and send us a DM. We want to give every Greek student the opportunity to integrate their faith in a good and meaningful way with their Greek experience!
