Not drinking alcohol

I barely ever drink alcohol, which seems to make me a bit of a rare specimen as a university student. To be be specific, it’s not that I never drink. I just have alcohol really infrequently (maybe once or twice a year). Sometimes I do consider not drinking at all.

Like I said, I’ve always felt that this makes me a little bit of an oddity at university where drinking seems to be very commonplace. I guess it’s possible that alcohol isn’t as prevalent as I think it is. I don’t track the people I’ve seen not drinking, and it seems unlikely that someone in casual conversation would mention it.

I do know of some people who don’t drink at all, and I have a lot of respect for that, especially considering the pressures I face just being an irregular drinker. It must be even harder for people who don’t drink or have quit drinking after having been alcoholics in the past.

I don’t really know why I never picked up drinking as a part of my everyday life. I guess it’s partly for health reasons. It’s recommended that you have no more than 10 standard drinks in a week and no more than 4 standard drinks in a day (link). Having less than 10 drinks a week to prevent “disease or injury” really isn’t that many, and hasn’t made me feel drawn to start regular drinking.

While I do consider my health, I think the main reason I rarely have alcohol is that I don’t have a good reason to do it. I don’t mind the taste, but I don’t love it. I don’t feel any particular urge to go out and spend my money on alcohol. The only reason for me would be peer pressure, and I don’t think that’s a good reason at all. I’ve seen a lot of people be pressured into drinking, and I’ve felt it for myself as well.

It’s a pretty common networking thing in the legal profession to go for drinks, and it can feel awkward to sit there with a coke or a water. I worry a lot that this decision could affect my career. Will people think I am a boring person if I don’t drink? Maybe. That being said, I’ve seen people who don’t drink do amazingly well at networking events.

These people wouldn’t even know it, but they have inspired me to think there’s no reason I can’t overcome my inhibitions without the use of alcohol.