A Guide to Partying for the Non-Drinker

August 29, 2008 3:30 pm     Posted in Back to School, Reality  Candy -- NYU g+ page

college-party.jpgNot everyone in college likes to drink. In fact, for the majority of our freshman year, one of my roommates refused to go to parties because she doesn’t like the taste of alcohol. Unfortunately, she didn’t immediately tell me this. For the first couple weeks of school, she would find excuses not to come out. For example, come Friday or Saturday night, she had a paper to write or a TV show that she just had to watch.


By Candy

After about two months of coming back to find that she hadn’t even started the paper or that she hadn’t even watched the show, I realized that there was another reason. When I asked her about it, she admitted that she simply couldn’t bring herself to drink, and she did not want to be the odd one out at parties.

About three weeks before school ended, my friend finally decided that she was going to come to a party with the rest of us roomies. And you know what, she had more fun than we did! Plus, she actually remembered the details of our enjoyable outing (she could recount in detail how we made complete fools of ourselves the following morning).

As a matter of fact, my roommate had such a good time that she came along to every party that we attended for the rest of the year, wishing that she hadn’t wasted so many nights back at the dorm doing nothing.

Now, I’m not saying that parties are the only way to have a good time on the weekends. However, if you do want to go out to parties with your friends but fear that you will be considered a social pariah if you don’t drink, here is some helpful advice:

1. Carry around a cup of soda. If you feel self-conscious because everyone else is holding a cup of alcohol, just grab a non-alcoholic beverage and sip on that during the night. There are bound to be drink mixers around such as Coke or Cranberry Juice. It will boost your confidence because others will assume that you are drinking, and it will allow you to fit in without compromising your decision not to drink.

2. Dance! Just because you aren’t drunk doesn’t mean that you cannot have a good time dancing at the party. You can dance with your girls, dance with a cute boy, or even dance by yourself (this often attracts the cute boy). Dance on the floor, dance on the bar, or even dance on the furniture…depending on the setting of party of course!

3. Strike up a conversation with someone who is drunk. Drunk people often say the darndest things! And only a sober person can truly appreciate them. Try asking your drunk friends simple questions; you will undoubtedly be entertained by their irrelevant or incoherent responses. If you want to hear a funny story ten times or if you want to hear the most intimate details of a person’s life that wouldn’t be revealed otherwise, then you should definitely consider talking to someone who is at their cut-off point.

4. Root Beer Pong. Fact: everyone likes beer pong—it’s a fun game. You don’t have to miss out just because you don’t like to drink. Replace the beer with something that doesn’t contain alcohol, and you are good to go. The same applies to other drinking games. For example, instead of taking shots of vodka, perhaps you could take shots of Red Bull. (Note: Do not do this during a Power Hour….you may not fall asleep until second semester.)

5. Don’t be a wallflower. You are not going to have a good time if you are afraid to meet people. You can be outgoing and interesting without the influence of alcohol. Don’t be afraid to act silly when you are sober because everyone else around you will be just as bad, if not worse.

[Photo courtesy of ballslist.com]

12 Comments on "A Guide to Partying for the Non-Drinker"

  1. Marisa - high school says:
    Fri, 29th Aug 200810:39 am 

    Kudos for writing this! I don't drink, but there is no shortage of parties in my town that are fueled by alcohol. My reasons for not drinking are that I don't like the taste, and I don't want to make a total ass out of myself in front of my peers; I'm not afraid to admit this, but sometimes being the black sheep makes you feel self-conscious. It's nice to know that there are ways to have fun at parties without drinking – I especially like number 3! :-D

  2. Marie says:
    Sat, 30th Aug 200811:18 am 

    At my school you are the odd man (or girl) out if you don't drink. When people find out I don't, I either get the "Um….ok….thats lame" or "Well what the hell do you do then?" (because if I don't drink I clearly don't do anything…)Like the post above I have a list of reasons why I don't (and for my major can't) drink, and it sucks getting judged as no fun because of that. So thanks for these tips, maybe I can try to use some.

  3. Amanda says:
    Sat, 30th Aug 200811:35 am 

    I've attended my fair share of parties both sober and tipsy… and I have just as much fun either way. And if I'm not going to get drunk, I normally just carry around my water bottle (filled with water, obviously) and I have people all night joking that I brought a bottle full of vodka or some other clear alcohol. :)

  4. heather says:
    Sat, 30th Aug 20086:35 pm 

    yeah im sort of like how amanda is… i like to drink occasionally, but i dont like getting drunk every weekend. most of the time im sober, unless its new years or im on a whim. i never feel weird not drinking though…

  5. Jake says:
    Mon, 1st Sep 20084:01 am 

    Drunk people talk such utter rubbish, I drink, but can imagine it would be quite fun to be sober and just watch everyone else get progressively more foolish.

    Benefits of not drinking: you don't end up a sweaty, stumbling, speach slurring mess, you don't get beer goggles and pull (hook up with) someone you don't really want to, and you'll save so much money.

    I actually admire people that don't drink.

    http://factsandfriction.blogspot.com/

  6. Marie says:
    Tue, 2nd Sep 20081:17 pm 

    Jake-It's nice to know that you admire people that don't drink. I was thinking about drinking just to make more friends at my school…but knowing there are people out there that don't think everyone needs to get wasted to be cool… I think I'll stay sober and myself. Thanks!

  7. Kelly says:
    Tue, 2nd Sep 20084:44 pm 

    I beg to disagree- after two or three parties as the only sober person, the whole scene gets kind of old. I started out the school year the same way, went to a few parties sober, then bailed on the rest- it's just not fun when people are constantly telling you to drink, making asses of themselves, or needing someone to hold their hair back while they puke.

  8. Kelly says:
    Tue, 2nd Sep 20084:48 pm 

    I beg to differ- after two or three parties as the only sober person, the whole scene gets kind of old. I started out the school year the same way, went to a few parties sober, then bailed on the rest- it's just not fun when people are constantly telling you to drink, making asses of themselves, or needing someone to hold their hair back while they puke.

  9. Davis says:
    Sun, 5th Oct 20082:26 pm 

    I was sober all through Frosh Week, because I was on anti-biotics, and found that being sober at a party can be just as much fun, if not more. You don't have the crappy side-effects (hang-overs, puking, beer-goggles) and I often find that when I'm with drunk people, I can loosen up, without the added aid of alcohol. My only word of advice is not to make a big deal out of not drinking. Don't lie about it, obviously, but the only thing worse at a party than a holier-than-thou sober guy is the creepy guy who stares at your chest all night.

  10. Irene says:
    Fri, 3rd Jul 20095:58 am 

    I was wondering if anyone knows of an organization (other than church groups ) that specializes in non-alchol events. I would love to have somewhere I can be part of that I don't have to adapt to the majority of drunk people.

  11. Liz says:
    Sun, 15th Aug 20109:37 pm 

    I remember being at parties with my friends and feeling a whole lot of pressure to drink. Of course, everyone's happy, laughing, having a good time, and even though I was sober, I was having a good time, too. I remember they were starting a game of flip cup, and I wanted to play. But when they were filling up the cups I asked for just water in mine, and this guy looked at me and said "that's lame." So yeah it didn't feel very good, and he ended up giving me the nickname Sober Girl (which ended up sticking for all the other times I saw him at parties), but I was also able to show people that I could have a good time without being tipsy/drunk.

    I know that if you stick to what you believe in, you will find people that respect your behavior, and will ultimately respect you.

  12. Casey says:
    Sat, 23rd Jul 20117:28 pm 

    Some schools have organizations specifically for this purpose — to provide events and a social network for students who want to have fun without using intoxicating substances. I know this post is 2 years old, but for anyone who is currently wondering the same thing — if your school doesn't have one, then START ONE! that's what I did! One of the first established student-run organizations like this is C.A.L.V.I.N. & H.O.B.B.E.S. at Bucknell University, but there are a lot more!

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