5 Ways You Can Enjoy University Without Alcohol

The word ‘university’ is normally associated with new faces, places and experiences. More often than not, this translates to collecting street signs and traffic cones on night after night of binge drinking. But what about those that don’t drink to excess, be it for medical or personal reasons?

Teetotalism among students is on the rise. St Andrews University has started to provide students with the option of ‘dry’ accommodation. A spokesperson for the university has said that ‘”The University of St Andrews is committed to creating a safe, healthy, and inclusive campus experience for all of our students.” In fact, After a recent survey in which more than 47 universities were involved, it was found that as many as 32% of young adults say that they’re currently teetotal.

Here are a few ways you can still experience university life without having to touch a single drop of alcohol.

Fill your spare time with your interests and hobbies

So what if you don’t drink? You don’t instantly become a less interesting person because you haven’t got a bottle of cider in your hand. If anything, it’s the opposite.

Still, what do you do with the time and money that you would be spending on drinking? There are plenty of activities that you can invest your time in; cinema trips, bowling and more. You can even splash out on new tech and clothes because – heck – you have the money. Why not?

Join a dry society

Volunteering can be a great way to put yourself out there. It’s a great way of meeting new people as well as dedicating your time to others.

Sports societies might be tricky as a lot of the time practice is followed by alcoholic socials. Still, you don’t need to stick around for that part of the day; just go for the sport.

Put the embarrassment aside

You shouldn’t be made to feel rosy-cheeked when asked, ‘Why don’t you drink?’ If anything, you should be the one making them feel embarrassed by asking them, ‘Why do you drink all the time?”

It isn’t always a good thing, going out all the time. Your student loan will disappear fast enough on its own without throwing it at bar staff. Don’t be ashamed of your lifestyle. Embrace it.

Don’t become a hermit

It is easy to shut yourself away at university, especially if you feel like an outsider next to your inebriated flatmates. But there will always be an alternative. There is always going to be someone you click with. Barricading yourself in your shoebox of a room will not solve anything.

If in doubt, talk to student services. They are trained to deal with this sort of thing. Who knows? They might point you in the direction of a society or group you never knew existed.

Organise your own outings and events

Once you’ve found that precious group of people with whom you click, now is the time to get together and take full advantage of being sober. If they haven’t suggested doing anything for a while, make your own plans with them, even if it’s just heading to town for a coffee with the girls or a kick about with the lads. Investing time with friends is always time well spent.

Most importantly though, you have to learn to embrace who you are. You can’t pretend to be someone else in the hope of finding happiness. Being teetotal is becoming more common, meaning there will always be others that share your lifestyle. It’s putting yourself out there that’s key to discovering these individuals.

So, the next time someone asks you why you never go out drinking, brandish that mug of tea with pride.

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