Some students won’t want to follow the tips below.  I know at least one person who is usually grateful for the advice posts I publish, but who’ll look at this post and think, “Are you mad?  My purpose for going out is to get drunk!”

photo by Matt Dinnery

But not everyone enjoys the prospect of going out and getting drunk.  Some want to enjoy themselves and get carried away.  It happens.  Some even think student drinking is a necessary evil.

Drinking alcohol isn’t ‘necessary’.  It doesn’t have to be evil either.

If you do want to have fun (and even a drink or two…or three) without getting slaughtered, read on!  If you’d rather keep getting drunk, enjoying memorable nights that you don’t remember, you can look away now. But there’s no harm in considering it, is there? 🙂

• Read one of my previous posts about alcohol, “18 Tips to Tame the Spirits“.
• Sing along to the music.  Dance to it. Let the music take you!
• If you feel happier socialising with a drink in your hands, make it a soft drink.
• Mirror others. If everyone around you is going crazy, go crazy with them!  It doesn’t matter if you’re the only sober one.  Nobody will care or notice by this point.
• Don’t feel guilty by not drinking alcohol.  If you plan to be completely sober, don’t worry about how you’ll look.  Just decline alcohol and any mild attempts to pressure you into having “just one”.  Friends are unlikely to keep on at you all night, so ride it out.
• Have an excuse ready. If you can’t be bothered to argue, say something like you’ve had to take headache tablets so you can’t drink alcohol, or you’ve got important work to do early the next morning.  So long as it’s believable, not subject to question, and not the same excuse you give every time, you’ll probably be fine.
• To be sure it’s alcohol-free, buy the drinks yourself. Alternatively, help get the drinks in when someone else buys a round.  Some people, even friends, can’t resist spiking a drink with more than you asked for.  Bypass that and be in control of your drink from the moment it’s handed over the bar.
• Don’t talk about how much or little you usually drink.  As soon as that line of questioning starts, it’s like a negotiation.  If anyone asks you, politely explain that you aren’t drinking tonight.  If they insist on questioning beyond that, I’d question how good a friend they really are…
• Don’t race.  If you have a drink in your hand, you don’t have to drink it quickly.  Sip it slowly.  You don’t have to accept a drink every time it’s a new round (and you don’t have to be involved in a round of drinks anyway, if that’s easier).  If you’ve still got a drink in your hand, decline another.  You can’t exactly be accused of not drinking! And even if you’re bought another drink against your wishes, you don’t have to drink it…
• Don’t talk about drinking habits (yours or others) while you’re out. The more you bring attention to it, the more it becomes an issue.
• Go for low alcohol. Have a shandy, a non-alcoholic cocktail, or a drink with a very little alcohol content.  You’re taking it slow that night…nothing wrong with that!
• Eat plenty food and drink plenty water before (and during) an outing. Without food and water, you’ll probably get drunk quickly.  So have a proper meal and stay hydrated for the sake of your body, as well as your alcohol levels.
• There are more non-drinking students than you think.  Today, you’re likely to find at least a few teetotalers at uni.  There may be loads.  You’re certainly not on your own if you don’t drink at all.  So don’t sweat it.
• Don’t speak up! Don’t tell people you’re not going to drink.  Don’t tell them you’re not going to drink much.  Don’t tell them anything about how much you may or may not drink.  It’s nothing to do with them and it’s just starting a conversation about it.  Don’t go there.
• Most people don’t care. A certain amount of worry is given to alcohol consumption at uni.  But many people say they don’t really think about how much other people want to drink.  The few people who do like to pile on the pressure give everyone else a bad name.

photo by Matt Dinnery