Drinking is the act of consuming a drink, almost always largely consisting of water. Lack of water in the diet will eventually cause death by dehydration. The sensation caused by dehydration of the body is called thirst.
Much of the world's disease is caused by the lack of clean drinking water.
Drinking vessels are a glass, a cup, a bottle, a canteen, or even a bowl in some cases.
The word drinking is in particular used as a euphemism for the consumption of alcoholic beverages, with the word thirst being the corresponding euphemism used by alcoholics for alcoholism.