It’s no secret that Fairfield University isn’t a dry campus. Weekend beach parties, SantaCon, Sham Jam and Clam Jam are all events that specifically have alcohol as one of their most important components. For most students over 21, alcohol is a key element to their relaxation. But where is the best place to get alcohol in the area? And how much do Fairfield students actually drink?
According to a survey of 45 students, Fairfield Wines & Spirits is the hottest spot to get alcoholic beverages from. That should be no surprise as the store is a short drive from campus, right across the highway from the local Stop & Shop on Post Road. Mo’s Wine & Spirits and That’s the Spirit Shoppe are also popular amongst the student body.
The best bar in town by a landslide is the Seagrape Café (otherwise known as The Grape.) Despite the Levee being on campus, it seems like the Grape far surpasses any other bars in the area. Not only does it have a much larger selection of drinks than the Levee, where they mostly serve beer, but it specifically caters to stressed out, broke college students on the weekends and on their famous Two-Dollar Tuesdays.
Now for the logistics – just how much are Fairfield students drinking? According to the survey, most students go to bars 2-3 times a week, presumably on the weekend. There are a good portion of students, 40 percent of the 45 that took the survey, that go to bars less too, either going once a week or a few times per month.
The majority of students spend around $20-60 on average per month on spirits, but students spending $60-100 in a month isn’t completely absurd with that averaging to $15-25 per week. Spending less than $20 per month is also common, but 15 percent of students spend from $100 to over $300 just on alcohol per month. Clearly, some of us have some interesting monthly budgeting choices. Most students equally spend their alcohol budgets on both drinks with high alcohol content like vodka, whiskey, or rum and drinks with low alcohol content like wine and beer as opposed to relying heavily on harder drinks to destress.
So do Fairfield students drink? Absolutely, but do they drink too much? According to the 2018 Clery Crime Report, 305 students were referred and one student was arrested for liquor law violations in 2017.
So, yeah, maybe we should cut back on the beers a little.
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