Don’t worry, you are definitely not the only one. In many ways it probably seems like you are the only one who skipped the party stage, especially if you are in college. But there are a ton of other people just like you, that would prefer a quiet night in as opposed to a big party on a Friday night.

In recent years the party stage has become normalized; most people can’t even think about college without also thinking about the wild parties everyone goes to. The Internet has made the party stage such common place, that it has made it seem almost strange to not really be a partier or a drinker. Drinking and partying isn’t strange, not drinking and not partying isn’t strange, either. But, since the party stage has become so normalized, I almost feel like I don’t relate to a lot of people my age. There are probably a lot of reasons for this, but the biggest one is that the whole party scene doesn't interest me as much as it probably should.

There’s nothing wrong with a good party, I actually find them really fun sometimes, at least the ones I have gone to. The biggest disconnect that I find between myself and a lot of people my age is that I don’t prefer a party over other things, and I never have. My idea of a fun night would be just spending time with my friends, instead of going out to a frat house or something else like that. Going out to dinner, watching movies, and spending quality time with people will always be more important to me than a party would be.

I also don't think going out and partying multiple times a week is something I'd ever be up for. For me personally, parties are something I'd want to go to a couple times a month but never more than that. I honestly give a lot of credit to people who party multiple times a week. My biggest question is how do you do it? I can hardly stay up past midnight, especially on a weeknight. I’m apparently just supposed to be like 30 years old or something by now. At least then it is acceptable to settle down, to not go out, and fall asleep by 11, as I do so offen.

A lot of people believe that I’m missing out because I preferred to skip the partying stage. I truly believe that this is not the case. It’s kind of like telling someone that doesn’t like a certain food that they’re missing out because they don’t eat a food they don’t like. This is just how I am, and I don’t see a big deal with it. Just like there's no big deal when someone doesn't skip the party stage. Every person is different, so why treat them all the same in regards to their interests and lifestyles?

This is really for the other people who don't party as much as their friends or acquaintances, you're all normal. And more importantly, you’re not alone. There are tons of people just like you and me, who are kind of 30 year olds trapped in a teenagers' body.