I think most of us have heard the saying "write about what you know." Well, at 20 years old, I don't know much, but here are some things I do know.
I know that I used to spend far too much time watching TV. The writers' strike forced me to realize that I could happily make it through a week without watching the drama of Meredith and McDreamy or the crazy lives of the teenagers of the Upper East Side of New York City.
I know that Meredith Viera was better on The View and Katie Couric was better on The Today Show and Rosie O'Donnell just should never have been on TV.
I know that rush can be the most stressful two weeks of a Miami University girl's life, but being a part of a great group of girls that you can call your sisters makes it worthwhile.
I know that girls tend to focus more on finding a boyfriend than making new friends, but since it is the quality-not the quantity-of friends that matter, this may be alright.
And I know that being a college student who doesn't drink-and never has-is considered weird, or at the very least, abnormal.
Yet, not drinking is one of the things that defines who I am-emphasis on the word "one"-so I guess it is also something that I know. The first thing I want to point out about this perspective is that I am not judging people who drink. Most of my friends drink and I still go out on weekends and have fun ... I just do it without the assistance, or hindrance in some cases, of alcohol.
When people find out I don't drink, their reaction usually depends on how much alcohol they've consumed at that point. Sober people usually just ask why, but as you increase the alcohol level the question gets more incredulous. Sometimes people just look at me like I have two heads and, on rare occasions, really drunk people decide that they should be the one that forces me to change my mind. There is a certain point of intoxication where I get that, "Wow, that's so cool; I wish I could be like you" response, even though the person obviously isn't really thinking that. Because the truth is, anyone can not drink. There is no special thing about me that makes it easier. It is just a choice I made early on that I haven't given up.
I honestly don't have one great reason why I don't drink, and I usually avoid answering the question if the person I'm talking to is even slightly drunk. There are a lot of factors that play a part of my decision, and if someone has had too much to drink, the conversation gets complicated and they get bored.
Part of my reasoning is my religion. As a Christian, I stay away from getting drunk. Another reason I don't drink is that I'm underage. I never drank in high school because of this and I didn't think that being away from home was a good reason to start. My parents especially have influenced my decision. My mom has never had any alcohol and my dad only drinks one beer a few times a year. Perhaps the most important reason, though, is that I don't need to drink to have fun. I still go out and hang out with my friends. I have a good time and don't have to worry about making bad decisions or embarrassing myself, which works for me.
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My friends all accept the fact that I don't drink, and my close friends have given up on trying to make me drink. If I go to a party with them, they don't even ask me if I want something to drink-saving me the hassle of saying no. Even though they don't push me to drink, having long since realized that it isn't going to make a difference, they still freak out if I even hold a drink for a friend, usually fighting to get a camera out fast enough to take a picture of it.
Yet, there are still times when the differences in our lifestyles become obvious. As the night goes on, I watch my friends do things I would never even consider. Of course, even on a level playing field, I tend to be more introverted and less likely to do anything remotely crazier than my friends so maybe drinking doesn't really play a part in this. I still don't understand beer bongs and double fisting, and I forget that my friends usually want to pre-game before we go out. Overall, I don't think my life is really that different than the lives of other college students, but people often assume that simply because I'm a nondrinker that I'm uptight.
And that brings me to another thing I know-I'm not uptight.
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