They say that college is the one time when it is ok for people to experiment with their new freedom and I saw this to be very true.
My perception of social life for college students was very limited—I thought that people went to the occasional dance here and there, studied in the library and went to every single football game. Innocent me thought that all the red solo cups in pictures were just filled with juice and soda.
I was wrong.
One of the most eye-opening experiences for me was seeing people my age be so comfortable with alcohol from such early on.
Before college, my exposure to alcohol was just seeing it in stores, seeing different uncles drink at major events and hearing about interesting stories from classmates. I didn’t have any older siblings or immediate cousins who were experienced and it wasn’t a big culture in high school. I came from an environment where drinking wasn’t a thing, so I literally knew nothing about it. I was aware of the dangers including drunk driving and the side effects, but I had never seen anything like that and no one had sat me down and talked about it.
I distinctly remember a time when my friends and I had planned for a board night and I was very confused when I an older student knocking on the dorm door with a brown paper bag in his hand.
As a freshman, I didn’t drink anything. Not because I was uncomfortable or I thought it was wrong, but simply because I didn’t think I needed to. Up until that point in my life, I had enjoyed the moments as they were without any type of artificial exhilaration.
Luckily, I joined groups and became friends with people who were very supportive of that decision and never forced me. I honestly found that I enjoyed my friends' company without needing anything extra no matter what.
I often remembered thinking that it was worth a shot (lol) for me to eventually try it and decide. Clearly, it must be fun if everyone seems so lively and happy after taking a few drinks, right?
By the time sophomore year had started, this was becoming more established in my environment. My cousins had also begun to turn of age around that time, and like me, they were also curious.
As a 22-year-old senior, I have learned that alcohol is a different type of fun, to say the least. At this moment in time, I understand the hype that comes with that type of experience, but at the same time, I have no regrets for embracing that community as late as I did.
The biggest culture shock for me at the time was seeing everyone turn to alcohol for every occasion to have fun, but by consciously waiting for the right time to try it, I want to say that I am still less dependent as many of my other classmates.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying, but I am luckily still very content with getting different milkshakes instead of mixed drinks when going out.
This isn’t new information. Universities are lucky in the sense where they can create communities with people who have different experiences in this department, but at the same time, I know for sure that there are many kids who come each year and are in the same shoes as I once was.
Up until this point, school systems have ingrained the negatives of drinking, but it would have been very much appreciated to understand what it means to drink coming from a social and personal perspective. I have heard and seen horror stories when people drank for the first time and didn’t know what to expect and thus went overboard. As much as organizations claim to forsake hazing traditions, peer pressure in this day and age has changed and is no longer 1-dimensional.
For a newcomer, any gesture could be interpreted as unwanted pressure. As college communities, drinking will undeniably be a part of our culture (which can also be a positive thing) but there is a gap which needs to be bridged.
Social media portrayal continues to add to the discrepancies in this subject and augments my confusion regarding the social stigma tied to drinking. When I come across pictures of current freshmen that I went to school with and I can tell that they are inebriated, part of me wonders if they were in the same headspace as I was.
Were they as confused and curious as I was? Was it their first time? This isn't me being a killjoy, it's just me being unfamiliar.
As much as we would all stray away from this subject, I know that this internal thought process must have been a part of everyone's internalization at some point or another.
The next kid sitting in the corner at the party having a good time just dancing could be you and I.
