To be fair, when I was 16 and underage, whilst sneakily taking sips of alcohol and attending high school house parties, the idea of being able to go out, dance and get intoxicated every weekend was like a fairy tale.
When I turned 18 I went a bit wild. Teamed up with a break up and a now valid ID, I was out on the town whenever I managed to scrape £20 together; which was practically every week. All I gained from these enlightening night outs were bruises on my legs, less money in my bank account, ruined heels, loss of respect for myself when it came to boys, and a few extra inches of fat to my waist.
At the time, I thought I loved every second. Looking back now, I regret most of the nights out. I don't like what alcohol does to me, to people in general really. A more recent heartbreak has truly pushed me over the edge and converted me in to a non-drinker.
Society seems to glorify drinking but in reality, it makes people unresponsible, vulnerable and the negative side effects completely out weigh the positive.
Nowadays, I prefer to spend my weekends at the cinema, at nice restaurants, having days out in cities. For some reason, this classifies me as 'boring', when in reality, I spend my hard earned money (less money may i add) on a genuily enjoyable day/night out, rather than throwing £50 down the toilet on shots; and then throwing up my guts down there too.
I can wake up the next day with a story to tell about my night, conversation topics about the film I watched and a full belly from delicious food. These 'typical teenagers' that seem to have been branded usually don't remember most of their night and the bits they do, come along with a helping of shame.
I'm not ruling out all alcoholic drinks forever. I do actually enjoy the taste of Strawberry daquiri's and the odd Baileys with milk, so i may have a couple of cocktails on a special occassion. I've just lost all interest in getting drunk.
It is completely fine if you are between the ages of 13-25 and simply do not want to drink. Please do not feel the pressure to do so, just because everyone else thinks it is 'cool'. Who are they to tell you what is normal? As cheesy as it is, it's true that you should do what makes you happy. It's your life, don't live by other people's rules.
I don't know about you but i would much rather have a night in with my best friend, talking about our week, eating ice cream and watching a TV series, over getting hammered and spending most the night queing to use a filthy bathroom.
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