I know that I'm not the only college student who doesn't drink, but it can be very easy to feel like you are in your own little, tiny world. And when that happens, it's extremely hard to explain your reasons for not drinking. Whenever someone asks me, I always end up feeling like I'm apologizing and skipping over half the reasons I choose not to drink. So here they are, and maybe they can help you understand why college students who don't drink choose to be that way.
It's illegal.
Personally, I do think it's stupid that some adults are not allowed to drink, but it is what it is. I'm not going to break a law when it's so easy not to.
My school is a dry campus.
I don't know about how others feel, but I'm not jeopardizing my scholarships because I broke school rules.
In my D.A.R.E. essay I promised myself not to drink.
Maybe it's ridiculous to abide by promises I made when I was 10, but that's the way I roll.
I was never inclined to drinking.
There was never much alcohol in my house, and I could probably count on my hands the number of times I've seen my parents drink. My father used to celebrate the New Year by having a sip of champagne, declaring it awful and pouring the bottle down the drain.
I never want to be drunk. Period. End of story.
Being drunk means I will have lost control of myself. And I see no point in doing that. I wouldn't find it funny, and I probably would be ashamed afterwards, even if everyone else was like that at the time.
Being drunk means I will have sacrificed some very important ideals for myself.
I've always loved something my great-grandfather did. He was a walking oxymoron--an Irishman who didn't drink. The only time he ever had liquor in his body was after he fell off a pier and apparently the guys who rescued him poured a bottle of whiskey down his throat to wake him up. He always felt like he broke his vow because of that. Part of my not drinking is because I want to be like him, ridiculous as it seems.
These do cover some of the many reasons why I don't drink, but at the same time, they barely scratch the surface. Most importantly, I don't really care if people drink. It's definitely a way to relax, and I get why people want to do it.
It's just not for me
