Why I Don't Drink | The Odyssey Online
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Why I Don't Drink

Answering your questions, once and for all.

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Why I Don't Drink
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I do not drink alcohol. To some of you grown-ups, there may come this thought: "Obviously you do not drink, Olivia. You are only 18." But come on, we all know what is really happening in the college dorms on Saturday nights, and it ain't Go Fish...

Friends and family members alike have approached me wondering about my choice of abstinence, and so here I am, answering everybody, once and for all.

The first thing that I want to say, before I go any further, is that the fact that I do not drink does not mean I frown upon people who do, AT ALL. Even my best friend has admitted to not inviting me to high school parties because she thought I was not "into that sorta thing."

Listen, just because I do not choose to drink does not mean I choose to have a boring time and does not mean that when I am among people who are drinking, I choose to feel superior and therefore do not enjoy myself. In fact, it makes me quite upset when people assume this. Never assume this about anyone who does not drink, because you will likely, though unintentionally, end up hurting his or her feelings.

I probably speak for many non-drinkers when I say that my friends drinking all around me, and even getting roaringly drunk, does not make me uncomfortable in the least. They do them, and I do me. This may seem a base comparison, but it is an accurate one: just because other people get together to play football, and I do not, it does not mean I look down on football as a stain on the face of this Earth, a sacrilege, something people only do to hurt themselves. In fact, in both cases, I feel neither an extreme desire to participate, nor an extreme need to stay away. And also in both cases, I enjoy watching immensely.

I am lucky, because I can quote The Great Gatsby and claim that I feel "just as good on nothing at all." When I have asked my friends why they do, in fact, drink, many have said that it helps them loosen up, helps them have a better time in an intense social environment. I feel as though this reasoning does not apply to me. I can find a fantastic level of happiness, fun, and comfort among others when I am sober. And I understand that this cannot be said for everybody, and so some may choose to drink to arrive at this level of comfort.

Interestingly enough, I have been asked on several occasions whether I was drunk while I was enjoying myself on the dance floor. This is likely due to my drunken abandon whenever I am around a dance floor, despite my lack of talent. These moments highlight for me that I do not need to drink to "let loose."

Additionally, I just cannot get past the taste. Yes, I have tried alcohol. I have tried beer, wine, tequila (daddy's favorite), vodka, and champagne. Each sip I have taken has made me want to immediately barf it back up. I am sorry, but I just do not understand why anybody would feel compelled to imbibe something so vile! Have a cup of OJ instead. It certainly tastes much better. I feel no desire to drink a liquid comparable in taste to nail polish remover, regardless of what other effects it may have on me.

I want to close by saying that, yes, sometimes I wonder what it would feel like to be drunk, what "type" of drunk I would become, what otherworldly strength alcohol seemingly gives to other people that I might be missing. But this wonder has never manifested itself deep enough within me, deep enough to provoke a second sip of anything I've tried. And maybe one day in the future, near or far, it will manifest itself. As for right now, I feel perfectly ok. And I want everyone to know that I am content with my decision, that you all should be content with my decision, and that if you need a ride home, I will be waiting by the door.

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