“College drinking” is a term we’re all familiar with as the element of alcohol on campus has had quite the tenure. However enjoyable some may find drinking to be while away at school, college drinking is often unappealing and even can be counterproductive to many others. For those that wonder how to fit in and have fun at college, no alcohol necessary, here are some quick tips and alternative solutions.
Sports
Some of the most fun you can have while away at school can come by way of sports involvement. Playing some sort of sport gives physical and mental benefits that drinking simply cannot. This alternative to “fun through drinking” releases endorphins, improves mood, and can even provide what’s often referred to as “runner’s high.”
Social Groups
There are many ways in which to socialize without the involvement of drinking. In fact, there are very few social groups, relatively speaking, that make drinking or alcohol a top mission, focus, or priority. Join a club and get involved with things that are fun and interesting to you. Whether within the school or outside, there are countless social groups that one can stay busy with and truly enjoy.
Explore, Engage Local Area
If not by sport or by social group, find some other ways to get out and explore the unique landscape that is your school’s individual locality. It doesn’t matter if you are in the middle of the desert, a big city, or deep in the heart of farmland America, your local area will provide plenty of opportunities for learning, enjoyment, personal perspective, cultural experiences, and more.
Engage Home
This is a matter of personal preference, but for some, engaging home matters can be as fun, fulfilling, and time-filling as anything else in this world. With no alcohol required, one can really engage home with a whole new angle because of the current, physical absence. Enjoy keeping up and engaging with friends, family, the old neighbors, and other groups. Playing long-distance games are fun here too. Now, what was that about alcohol?
Start Something New
If none of the above ideas are of any additional interest, consider what it is that you really are interested in doing for fun, and start something new. It could be a social group, a new sport, a hobby you always wanted to start – as long as you know you will enjoy it, that’s the important part. You can pursue this new endeavor alone or likewise seek the company of other likeminded if you so choose.
Tips on Handling Alcohol Situations
Avoiding alcohol doesn’t necessarily have to mean strictly avoiding situations in which alcohol is present. You can certainly enjoy such gatherings without getting intoxicated. If it makes it better, bring along your own non-alcoholic beverage, snacks, or other supplies to enjoy while your friends enjoy theirs.
Another concern is the direct or even indirect feeling of pressure to drink when in certain social situations. A more helpful way for some to view this is by enjoying a sense of humored flattery at the fact that others simply wish to engage you in their own vices of enjoyment. Persistence may ensue briefly, but after a little while, your friends and affiliates will fondly know, accept, and respect your regular stance on the matter.
Having fun is all about what you make it. Thankfully, as humans, we are programmed to feel a sense of enjoyment and fun from a wide variety of activities and engagements. Stick to your guns, smilingly enjoy the flattery of the offer of drink from others, and do your own thing. In the end, you’ll likely gain the respect of others as well as gain a valuable skill of non-drink dependent enjoyment for a lifetime. Be knowledgeable, but college drinking is really one of the last things to concern yourself with in this great time of life.
See also: 50 Great Schools Where High School Students Can Get College Credit
