In the past year I turned 21 and I have to say, it's a little overrated. Don't get me wrong I've enjoyed all the legal drinking that the past few months has brought me. Yo get to try different types of alcohol and different varieties among those types and that's cool and all but there's not much else to it. You gain a few extra pounds from all the beer and wine I've been drinking and the inevitable drunk snacks you make. But honestly aside from being able to have a drink at a restaurant there's not much else to this seemingly fun year.
For one it's expensive! All that alcohol that your parents or bought you or that was in the fridge and your parents said, "sure have a drink" you now have to contribute to that stash. I'm not talking the leftover vodka from this school year. No. I'm saying you need to buy a six pack, at least, of a beer or a bottle of wine that the majority of people in your house will drink. Or go out and buy a type of alcohol that you know no one else will drink.
Another reason why your wallet will be hurting is the bar covers. Unless you had a fake ID this is a new expense you have to think of when you go out. Now in retrospect this is not a big deal but if you think about a night out with friends and you're bar hopping, you're paying for the cover to get in, the drinks, Uber there and back, and of course the food your drunk ass is going to chow down on.
Now that brings me to two more things that have all too quickly emptied my bank accounts; food and transportation. Whether it's' coming back from a night out on the town or just apartment hopping on campus, the night seems to always end with a giant glass of water and some kind of food. Five Guys, Goldfish, Vodka gummy bears (that wasn't my best decision), no matter what, the night ended with a fist full of a salty snack and a small dent in my pocket. This of course was after an Uber ride with an overly chatty driver who was of course very nice considering they were driving some hot messes home.
Now there are perks to being 21 like happy hour and brew/distillery tours. Of course you still have to pay for these things but they're generally on the cheap side and the tours offer tastings and sometimes a free glass. 21 also brings the bittersweet moments of being carded and the times when your older sister is carded and not you. It happened and it was quite the laugh for all of us at the table.
But honestly, aside from ordering alcohol at dinner or going to the market and buy a bottle of wine with your milk and bread this week, 21 doesn't give much to us. So drink up and enjoy the drunken shenanigans while you can.
