I was always told that high school and college were supposed to be "the best years of my life". Everyone that told me this was obviously referring to the freedom that comes along with growing up and eventually living away from your parents in college. They were referring to going out on the weekends, drinking, having "fun", etc. I've been having "fun" since I was 15 years old, and four years later, at the age of 19, I'm over it.

Everyone has this misinterpretation that you need to go out and drink in order to have fun. Honestly, that sh*t led me down the wrong path. Right now, I'm surrounded by people who don't have to drink or do drugs to have fun, and I couldn't be happier. Not that I have anything against the average college student that goes out every weekend to party, but it's just not for me anymore. I'm keeping myself busy doing other things and thank God for that. I don't have a problem hanging out with people who party, but right now, I'm perfectly content with being the designated driver.

There are so many plus sides to not partying. There's no hangovers, no worrying about blacking out and not remembering what happened. I used to wake up feeling like crap in the morning, and ultimately wasting my entire day because I couldn't get out of bed. As of right now, I'm trying my best to put myself on a schedule where I'm not sleeping in too late, and I'm focusing on my health (mental and physical). A lot of the time people use drugs and alcohol as a way of filling a void to relieving stress or pain. There are SO many other things college kids (and everyone else for that matter) can do besides drinking. Go bowling, ice-skating, to the movies, whatever floats your boat. Just because you're in college doesn't mean you have to play the role of a college student and party all the time. There's more to life than being a part of the party scene and once you realize that, I promise your life will be a lot fuller and a lot healthier.