I will admit that I am 24 years old and have never been drunk before. Yes, I have drunk some before, but nothing has put me to the point of being drunk. I’m a big person, which is probably the main reason, but I also don’t drink fast and there’s very little I like. There are two things that typically happen when I tell someone that I have never been drunk. People either tell me that I’m a loser, or make it their new goal in life to get me drunk. Gee, that makes me feel great. I’m a loser because I haven’t drunk enough of a toxin to become intoxicated… makes so much sense.

Being on a college campus, I’m surrounded by drinking. As an undergraduate, it was everywhere. On Monday in class everyone was talking about how wasted they got that weekend, and on Friday they were talking about how wasted they were going to get the coming weekend. I always thought it was a stupid notion, and before I turned 21 I had only had a single sip of beer and another sip of whiskey. School was, and still is, very important to me. Why would I mess it up with alcohol? While I was underage, I wasn’t as much of a loser; I was just the prudish cautious one.

When I turned 21, I went out and bought some drinks and had one, but I had an 8 am class the next day. I remember going into class the next day and someone saying something about why was I in class since my 21st birthday was the day before. Truth be told though, I was only ever invited to a total of three parties during my five years as an undergraduate.

Now that I’m in graduate school, the talk isn’t there as much. The foreign students are here to study and don’t have time to drink, and the others have mellowed out a bit. However, now I’m even older, so that obviously makes me even more of a loser. This is where my problem arises. People choose to do many different things. Someone may choose to not drink soda or products with caffeine in them, but no one is going to call them a loser over this. I’ve chosen not to drink alcohol, and people have a problem with this. I have not been able to think of a reason why I would want to get drunk. There is just nothing in it for me. This is not saying that other people might not have their own reasons for drinking, but they don’t apply to me.

I’ve been told that drinking is fun. I don’t feel that I need to drink in order to have fun though.  I’ve managed to enjoy myself in social situations thus far without drinking. The few times I have been to parties or bars and watched people completely drunk off their asses, they were acting like total idiots. I’ve done enough stupid stuff sober, so I don’t need to increase my chances of doing something dumb. Plus, I don’t particularly find acting like a douche fun. I’ve also been told that I need to drink to be able to let loose. Well, I don’t feel that I need a substance to help me relax and be myself, and let loose with my friends. Sure, meeting new people can be awkward, but I feel that’s part of the experience. The last reason I’ve been told as to why I should get drunk, is that I need to do it once to see if I like it. I can kind of understand that, I don’t know what it feels like to be drunk. It might be wonderful. My mother did always tell me that I should try new things, though I’m sure she meant eating my vegetables. But by this reason, guys should have sex with other guys, and girls with girls to see if they like it and aren’t really gay. I don’t think the same people that have called me a loser would appreciate that.

I feel that most of my friends would support me for being bisexual or even a sex toy reviewer, but many still seem to think I should get drunk. Even my one male friend, who believes in not having sex before marriage, thinks I should drink. It seems to be a bit of a double standard, and I’m just getting tired of it. It’s my decision. Is it too much to ask for people to respect it?