Throughout my college years, I've run into a fair amount of students who choose the sober lifestyle for various different reasons. Some are allergic to alcoholic beverages, others are cautious for fear of punishment or fear of being unable to pursue their dream job or major, such as education. Others struggle with alcohol and avoid it due to past addictions or family history. But what I've found is that many of the students and people who have chosen the sober lifestyle have done so based on merits that simply aren't true or are very over-exaggerated. However, what's worse is the misconceptions surrounded around the students who do choose to drink. The superiority and judgement of drinkers by non-drinkers has to stop. Here are the common misconceptions about drinkers:

1. We Don't Care About Our Health

Everyone, yes, everyone has their vices. For some it's drinking, others smoking, others gambling, some Chipotle. No one person is 100 percent physically and mentally healthy at all times -- it's nearly impossible. That being said, being healthy and drinking are independent of each other. There are healthy people who drink and healthy people who don't as well as unhealthy people who drink and unhealthy people who don't. Overall health can't be determined solely based on if alcohol is incorporated in your lifestyle. Drinking, admittedly, isn't the healthiest habit, but it depends on how you drink. A glass of red wine a day has been proven to have health benefits, while binge drinking has no benefits. Health also includes other factors in your lifestyle such as your diet and exercise regiments. However, just because a person drinks doesn't make them automatically unhealthy. Some drinkers consciously watch what they drink and stay away from high sugary drinks such as Long-Island Iced Teas and opt instead for more low calorie drinks such as Vodka and Seltzer or light low calorie beers. Drinking once or twice a week is no worse than fast food. Even Olympic athletes like to enjoy a beer. It won't ruin your health if you do it responsibly.

2. We Need it to Have Fun

This is one of the biggest misconceptions about drinking -- that those who do so need alcohol to have fun. It is fun, but we don't need it to have fun. The truth is, drinking isn't fun because of the alcohol itself but because it is naturally a social activity. The social nature of drinking contributes to why it shows up in so many social events such as concerts, sporting events, and more. Groups and groups of friends meet up at local bars to chat and "have a drink." Drinking has become ingrained into social life whether it's bonding through co-workers at happy hour or meeting friends out. It's the social environment that makes the atmosphere fun. Many drinkers go to bars to hang out with all of their friends, not necessarily to overload on drinking. Bars and house parties alike are just an easy large space to meet up with larger friend groups that might not be appropriate in other settings like a Starbucks or a restaurant.

3. Our Only Intention Is Getting Drunk

Many people are surprised about how much drinkers know about alcohol because they assume we use alcohol for the sole purpose of getting drunk. You develop a real taste for what you like and don't like. Don't assume every drinker is uneducated and buying the cheapest beer/wine/liquor because they only need it to get drunk. Believe it or not, drinkers actually like the taste of alcohol -- it isn't just a means to an end. Yes, it's an acquired taste, but we do in fact enjoy it. Beer drinkers are aware of whether they like lagers, IPAs, or wheat beers better and can make commentary on if something is too hoppy. Wine drinkers will develop a taste for red, white, or rose as well as a tendency towards dry or sweet as well as an array of other terms such as smokey, oaky, crisp, etc. Especially don't assume all liquor drinkers are only in it for the buzz as some will be the first to tell you how their whiskey was aged. Drinkers aren't just downing rubbing alcohol trying to get their fix, we just enjoy drinks the way some enjoy coffee or tea.

4. We Don't Remember Our Nights

There's a difference between drinking and binge drinking. Not all drinkers black out and not all drinkers binge drink. Don't assume that just because someone is drinking, they won't remember their entire night.

5. We're Terrible Students

Everyone knows that student who goes out in the middle of the week and it's easy to assume that these are bad students who don't care about their studies. While this can be said for some students it definitely can't be said for all. The ability to time-manage has nothing to do with drinking or not drinking, it has to do with you. Some people waste time binge watching Netflix or sleeping during the day. Some people spend all day in the library getting their work done so that they can go to the bar to hang out with their friends at night. The point is, everyone has free-time at some point throughout their day, some just spend to choose it at the bar instead of at home and that's OK! The important part is keeping your grades up and staying in school. It's completely possible to go out AND have a phenomenal GPA, it all just depends on managing time and knowing when to say 'no' the bar and 'yes' to the library.

6. We're Rowdy

Not every drinker is the poster child for Project X. It is possible to casually drink. Many associate drinking with loud college parties but drinking comes in all different forms. Some enjoy wine tastings, vineyards, breweries, distilleries, pubs, and more. Enjoying a glass of wine, a good beer, or a whiskey doesn't have to turn itself into a wild event. There's a difference between a tailgate and having a glass for wine while watching "Scandal," so don't assume all drinkers are likely to do a keg stand or go streaking. Don't get me wrong, the rowdy drinkers exist, but not everyone is one.

6. We Waste Our Money on Alcohol

Yes, alcohol is expensive, but so are other things like grabbing coffee at Starbucks everyday or eating out. Everyone has disposable income, and everyone spends it the way they want to. Don't assume a drinker is wasting all of their money on alcohol; most likely, they're just saving money on something else. So before you make judgement on not wanting to waste money, think about how many times you went to Chipotle last week. One trip to Chipotle is like one bottle of wine.

7. We Don't Have Our Priorities Straight

Too much of anything is a bad thing, drinking included, and not everyone can handle alcohol or its consequences, but there's many people that can and do. Drinkers enjoy drinking, but that doesn't mean it's their life. We have jobs we care about, careers we're invested in, classes we're dedicated to, and tests we study for. Many drinkers are highly motivated, hardworking, and successful people. So don't count us out. In the words of Drake, "drinking every night because we drink to our accomplishments." Just because we enjoy the bar doesn't mean you won't find us at the library every single day.

Whether you drink or don't drink, remember that making judgement on the actions of others isn't productive or even useful. Drinking, when done responsibly, can be a fun, social, hobby or activity. And to my sober friends, I'd never want you to feel pressure to drink. If you don't drink and don't wish to that is absolutely OK, but please stop using the above as reasons to validate it. If you ask me, "because I don't want to" is reason enough.