Let's be honest—most of our parents disapprove of partying, but we do it anyways. We are all guilty of having a couple drinks and heading to an overcrowded house filled with people our age. Sure, alcohol, boys and girls sound like a dangerous mix, but what our parents don't see are the memories and friendships we are able to make all in one night. The girl sitting on the couch whose friends ditched her decides to tag along with you and your group for a while. You two get to talking and find out that you both have the same major, so you swap numbers and talk about studying for tests together. She spots her friends and you guys go your separate ways. Not only did you make a friend, but you learned a lesson about friends: real ones don't leave you stranded at a house party.
The best, but sometimes most dangerous part of partying, is liquid courage. The kid in your dorm who lives two doors down from you finally has the courage to say hello, and you have the courage to tell that complete stranger you've been crushing on them all year. This is a win because you get that blast of courage you will never feel while sober, with the only downside being that you're going to wake up the next morning and remember what you said. Though school is important, having a social life is, too.
There is no better way to release all the stress that comes with a week of classes than to dance to music while making new friends. The easiest way to meet people at a party is to play a game of beer pong. You and your partner get to make conversation while sharing a win or loss. The game is long enough to learn a few interesting facts about your partner, and it's not incredibly competitive, so there's only a little shame in losing. This is truly the most comfortable way to meet people, and it is much more effective than any name-learning game that I played in high school. I would even recommend a censored version, water pong, to teachers who are trying to introduce classmates to each other.
Some of the greatest friends I have, I met while partying. The comfortable atmosphere takes away any awkward feelings that would have been felt in a different situation, and suddenly strangers are able to feel as if they have been best friends for an entire lifetime. The truth about partying is that it is not all about drinking. It's about stepping outside of your comfort zone, sometimes with the assistance of a legal substance, and meeting people that you would not have met otherwise. These people don't have to be your husbands or wives, but they might end up being your bridesmaids and best men. When it comes to partying, meeting strangers and hearing new songs goes hand in hand; you didn't plan on hearing that song tonight, but you did because you partied, and it ended up being your favorite.
