In college it can seem like it's a built in part of the experience to go to parties on the weekend and drink, especially at USC. California ranks towards the middle for underage drinking, but I would guess that Trojans, specifically, would show a much higher rate. For being a pretty prestigious university we've got a notable drinking culture, at least for some parts of the school. And even if you don't find yourself in a group that parties every single weekend, the time will likely arise at some point where you're offered the opportunity to drink. So, should you do it?
That decision is yours to make like any other in your life (you're an adult - yay!), but I"m here to say that it's A-OK to not be into drinking. It doesn't make you less cool. It doesn't mean you aren't an adult. And anyone who has such opinions has a pretty narrow view of the world. Between you and me, you can do better when it comes to finding friends.
This isn't an argument to never drink during your lifetime -- that's not a reasonable decision for most -- this is simply here to say that there are other priorities in college, and there's nothing wrong with focusing on those instead of drinking.
I fully realize that just saying "not drinking isn't uncool" is about as convincing as the "get high on life" speech you may have heard in high school health class (I sure did). With that in mind, here are a handful of reasons why your coolness is not impacted by a decision not to drink.
1. It takes up free time that could be spent on a project or internship or otherwise.
It's surprisingly easy to forget this, but college isn't just a four-year summer camp your parents dropped you off at -- it's here to lay a foundation for your career and life. That's not to say you need to be working or studying 24/7, but this time is an opportunity for you to take some initiative to work on a project or job search that'll serve you well in the future. Find an internship, build a website, start a club, or whatever else is applicable to your life goals. Drinking doesn't have to be the default freetime activity.
2. Real connections with others happen when you are present, not drunk.
There's this idealized view of friendships being forged during drunken weekends, but that's not a complete picture. You certainly may have fun during these kinds of outings, but you're not going to truly get to know someone this way. Alcohol removes inhibitions and disconnects you from what's happening -- that's why your memory will be fuzzy the next day, if not completely missing.
3. LA has 6 billion things to do that don’t require alcohol to enjoy them.
This might be less exciting if you're from Los Angeles, but if you're not then you should really take advantage of everything the metropolis has to offer. There are museums, free concerts, NFL games (two teams!), NBA teams (two teams!), MLB games (kind of two teams), outdoor movies, meetup groups, and much, much more. Why not spend an evening or two checking out these activities?
4. Hangovers suck.
This short-term effect of drinking makes it totally reasonable to abstain in and of itself. The next day most people feel ill and exhausted, especially since drinking usually goes along with staying up late. All this to say, hangovers can be pretty bad; in fact, 2 in 5 people have called out sick from work because of it.
Again, this isn't a decree that you should never drink -- just don't feel like it's the only option to be "cool." Having a great career is cool, being knowledgeable about LA's history is cool, having life-long friendships is cool… you get the picture.
