“People who party are irresponsible, foolish, and pressure others to drink.”

How many times have you heard that one?

Sadly, we hear this stereotype all the time, especially from the insistent coddling of adults. Almost all partying stories or comments that we hear are negative. If we pay attention to high school health class, or listen to those constant lectures, partying is portrayed as a “forbidden act” due to its negative associations with drinking.

Let me get this straight before you start jumping to conclusions. I’m not encouraging underage drinking. However, I don’t think we should be under the impression that partying is the devil’s work, or that drinking must go hand in hand with partying. But if you like to drink, and if it's fun for you, then great. That's your choice.

There is a negative and positive outlook to almost any situation, and partying is one of them. While it is important to address its downfalls and dangers, I also think it’s important to focus on the upsides. We focus on the downsides more often than not, and to be honest, I'm sick of it.

Think in this sense: if partying is viewed as this horrible phenomenon for teenagers, then why do we continue to do it as adults? Why is partying the centerpiece of the average, college weekend, bachelorette party, or wedding reception? I’ll tell you why:

Whether we like to admit it or not, partying can be fun, and I’m personally not afraid to admit it. To all readers of age and underage, keep this in mind: you can definitely go out to a party with friends without the help of alcohol, but if you do want alcohol involved, that's just fine too.

Even though there are several more, here are a few benefits to partying:

New friends

Partying is actually an awesome way to meet people! As long as you go out with a buddy you trust, I think it’s perfectly acceptable to crawl out of your shell and talk to someone new.

Feeling free and loose

Partying can be a great way to loosen up after a long week. Unless you have serious issues going on in your life, I think it’s a good stress reliever -- as long as you don’t rely on drinking to make yourself feel better.

Doing something crazy calls for hilarious stories

I think it’s healthy to do something a little bit crazy or different every once in a while. If you sit around at home doing nothing all the time, you’ll never have silly stories to tell!

You find out who your true friends are

I’ve heard a lot of horror stories from parties, and I think it really reflects on who your true friends are. If your friends are loyal through the worst of times, such as consoling while you cry over an ex-boyfriend from three years ago, I think you’ve found yourself some keepers.

No, I do not go out and party every weekend, and no, I don’t drink every time I go out with friends. Also, I’m not denying that there can be issues with drinking, both of age and underage. Just thought I should get that across.

However, this is beside the point. The point is that I don’t think we should shame those who do party or drink, or expect everyone to drink at a party. These judgments and assumptions only cause confusion and unnecessary curiosity from teenagers.

As long as we learn that there is a balance of upsides and downsides as individuals, I think we will all have a better understanding of the term, partying, and what that implies.