EDIT: Very sorry: I didn't put on my reading glasses and really messed up who commented what. Let me rephrase a few things...

Personally, I think Amadeus's answer is spot on, but my comment was getting too long so I decided to put it up as an answer.

As a female who's been to college (though not in the US), I can tell you that a girl who likes to have one night flings will have some people call her a slut and some people not caring about it in the least. Those who think she's a slut, will avoid her altogether; the rest won't let it impact the way they socialise.

Some of her friends might caution her against some guys or being too free, that 'traditional' guys think of such women as yadda yadda, but they won't shun her for it. Other friends might envy her bravery and wish they had the guts to pick up guys and to hell with the mores. I mean, sometimes, a girl just wants a quick physical connection and that's it. Just like any guy. Unfortunately, we have a lot of baggage holding us back from doing it. It takes courage.

Now if she goes to dating one guy and still fools around, or if she's dating two guys at the same time, then everyone would call her a slut. Some of her friends might call her on it, some might distance themselves and avoid her as a way of protesting the behaviour. Some might warn the guy or the guy's friends (especially if they know the involved ones personally).

For most people I know 'promiscuous' is a polite word for slut, by the way.

Having read the comments above...

It is a sexist plot device...

Ok, so the circles she moves in are going to judge her badly for it. Will the narrator be judging her too?

...it suggests a girl wouldn't sleep with more than one guy unless she is literally mentally impaired.

I'd feel more comfortable saying this particular girl wouldn't do it unless. Because it's ok: some women really wouldn't dare to fool around, for as long as it isn't about any girl. Maybe it's a question of 'alcoholic courage'. Some need it just to start a conversation.

On the other hand, remember that even in societies where honour killings happen, you'll have girls and women going over the line. At the risk of their lives! And they are not impaired. They are either adrenaline junkies (that could be called a kind of impairment, ok) or they make a cold-headed choice to try and live their lives to the utmost and it's worth the risk for them.

I just can't avoid thinking that she would be inevitably crossing paths with some of her friends' boyfriends.

From my experience, you can go two ways (I'm over-simplifying by the way):

a) She's a man-eater and will bang anything with male genitalia. Yeah, no female friend of hers is going to let her set eyes on their boyfriends. Come to think of it, she probably doesn't have many female friends. She'll have 'followers' and 'minnions' because this is the bitchy power-house type who wants the world to bend over and she will surround herself with 'friends' willing to 'worship' her and her awsomeness.

b) She sleeps with the guy she chooses. She may have more or fewer pre-requisites, whether it's about looks or how they dance, how entertaining they are... maybe she really only wants those that look like they know how to show a girl a good time. Anyway, she won't bed just anyone; she chooses them. If her friends see her as an honest person, they know she won't be tripping their boyfriends. Except, of course, that friend who's really insecure, or that other one who's jealous.

Look, I don't want to be rude or anything, but... anyone that says that a girl, in the sense of any girl, wouldn't sleep around unless she'd lost her mind for whatever reason (alcohol, drugs, out of hand infatuation, whatever!), has no idea what girls and women in general feel like. I'm not saying there aren't girls and women who would never, ever do it, but there are plenty who don't do it simply because of societal judgement.

And then there are those brave souls who don't give a **** about the social mores and follow their sex needs. Because, believe me, they do lose friends, their families may shun them, they do risk their jobs (in some cases), ...

So, if the reason why that particular character would only sleep around if she were drunk is because of social mores... she'd be waking up the next day feeling guilty and humilliated by herself and would be swearing off alcohol, probably calling her best friends for some support. It would also mean that she'd have an addiction to alcohol, since she'd be doing it again and again.

And if she's hitting on ber friends' boyfriends, then she'd really be feeling like absolute shameless rubbish.

Or, she really wants to do it but can only free herself of the 'baggage' through alcohol. In that case, drinking wouldn't be an addiction but a... 'pick up technique', at least in her eyes.

However, this raises a question: does she need to be impaired in order to overcome her conditioning that sex is bad? Then she's still going to wake up feeling guilty and ashamed of herself. If anyone calls her a slut (even in other words) she'll agree and feel like rubbish. If she keeps on doing it... She's got every reason in the world to either go into deep depression because she clearly has no control over herself and is secretly a slut of the worst kind or she accepts the fact and embraces her sluttiness (whatever that means in her head), acting the part (which may mean extra provocative clothing, provocative behaviours and generally showing off how she doesn't care that she's a slut and that most everyone considers her rubbish).

Finally, it's your story, your world, your decision. Still, you have to make up your mind: Do you think that a woman who sleeps around is acting badly? Do you feel that a serious woman/girl would only sleep around if she were mentally impaired?

I mean no judgement here. One is entitled to feel the way one does about it (for as long as one doesn't act against women who sleep around). But you must realise that most women these days are trying their best to overcome centuries of indoctrination and they do demand the same freedom men have - sleep around if you want it, don't sleep around if you don't want it, no judgement needed - and... it's one thing to have the society shaming her for it, it's another completely different thing to have the narrator implying that society is correct, that a serious girl would not do it unless she was impaired. So, think carefully about the message you want your story to convey.

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