So the weekend has finally arrived! Spring Weekend is arguably the best time to be a Fordham student. It’s a time to enjoy the music and fun events, and have one final hurrah with friends before finals start. A time to let all inhibitions fly away. As a freshman, I’ve heard upperclassmen’s stories of previous Spring Weekends, what to look forward to, what to avoid. Yet, one part of my experience is going to be very different from most at Fordham. I will be completely sober the entire weekend.
I have never been really into alcohol, but not for reasons that you may think. There is no history of alcoholism in my family, in fact most of the people in my family are very responsible drinkers. It’s not that I don’t like the taste of it. It’s not that I am a commuter and have to get home, because there are places I could stay near campus if need be. It is for the pure fact that I don’t like the feeling, the feeling of being somewhat “out of it.”
I have never felt the need to drink nor even the desire to. I am the type of person who likes to be in control and wants to be in full control of myself at all times. I feel that alcohol takes away part of that control I have. I like to be completely cognizant of everything I’m doing and everything that is going on around me. With alcohol, there is something in my system that affects my actions besides my brain, and even the idea isn’t attractive to me personally. When I feel that control slipping, I get an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach which is not enjoyable in the slightest. So, drinking is just not the way I like to have fun. I enjoy just being in the company of friends or enjoying whatever we’ve gotten ourselves into at that moment.
Although drinking is something that has become synonymous with the college experience, I have decided not to make it a part of mine. In the beginning of the school year, I didn’t know that many people or had enough trust in anyone to drink and let loose that I knew I would get home in one piece. That is not to say that I don’t have good friends, but rather I just didn’t yet feel secure in these new relationships. As the year went on and I strengthen the bonds I have with my friends now, I thought I would be comfortable enough to drink but found something holding me back. It was simply that I just don’t want to because I don’t like the effect drinking has, personally just not for me. Which does not mean I want anyone around me to make the same choices I’ve made and refrain from drinking. It is a personal choice, so if you want to drink, go right ahead. I would never want to stop anyone from enjoying themselves. Trust me, intoxicated people are seriously funny to watch. I have often faced the criticism that alcohol enhances the fun you experience and allows a more true personality to come out. I feel that I am just as fun sober as I would be if I drank and I have more than enough personality to go around. My life is not boring or dull, as one may imagine, it is filled with laughter and memories of good nights.
So now that Spring Weekend is rolling around, I am once again posed with the question, Why won’t I drink? I will not drink because I don’t like the feeling I get if I were to drink. I will not drink because I like being in complete control of what I say and do. I will not drink because I want to remember my frist Spring Weekend clearly. I will go and enjoy the Ramblers’ show, I will go and have a great time time at the Matt and Kim concert, and I will dance the night away at Under the Tent. I will do all this just sober, but that won’t lessen my fun at all!
Remember to thank your sober friends after Spring Weekend because they’ve now seen you at your craziest and loved you enough to make sure you survived the weekend, and remind you of the funny things you did if you don’t remember yourself.