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How To: Have Fun at a Party Without Drinking

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Iowa chapter.

How To: Have Fun At A Party Without Drinking

I know this may come as a shock, but I don’t really drink. It isn’t that I disapprove of it or the people who do drink, it’s just I’ve never really thought you had to have alcohol around to have a good time. So, when some friends invited me to a party the other day, I was understandably nervous about the alcohol aspect of it. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to have fun because everyone else would be drinking and I wasn’t. To make a long story short, I did go to the party and I did have a great time and if you ever find yourself in my position just follow these steps and you’ll be sure to have a great time as well.
Step one:Choose your party friends wisely. What I mean by this is that it might not be the best idea to go to the party with friends who usually drink a lot and end up drunk. It will only make not drinking even more uncomfortable, and you’ll be left to awkwardly babysit them. Choose a friend who is aware that you won’t be drinking as well as one who doesn’t feel the need to drink to the point of being drunk. It’s also nice to have a friend around to back you up when you turn down the drink.
Step two:Don’t put yourself in a position you don’t feel comfortable in. At one point I found myself in the “drinking game” room and was almost corralled into playing one. Luckily, at the last moment I realized I wasn’t needed. To keep from the chance of me being needed again, I decided to just move into a different room. Once I left, the pressure to join in was gone and I was able to stop worrying about trying to figure how to stay out of the game.
Step three:Hold any form of liquid. If you are holding anything that slightly resembles a liquid, people will just assume it has alcohol in it. I was lucky enough to find an extra cup that wasn’t being used and simply filled it with good ol’ water. As soon as I did that people stopped offering me drinks and stopped giving me weird looks when I would turn them down. Another idea would be to bring a drink from home. People won’t even realize the difference between an alcoholic drink and a non-alcoholic drink.
Step four:The last step is to not make a bigger deal out of it then it really is. If you want to drink then go ahead and drink, but if you don’t want to then don’t. Trust me, people really don’t care. And once the party starts going people won’t even notice if you’re drinking or not. Just relax, and have a good time.

Nicole Lumbreras is a junior at University of Iowa, class of 2012, studying Journalism and Sociology. Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Nicole loves to explore new restaurants, see live music and attend sporting events. Nicole loves to travel, dance, write in her blog and takes pleasure in the art of photography. Nicole loves to spend time with her friends and family, and when time allows she will get her fill of Bad Girls Club, Glee, So You Think You Can Dance, and Grey's Anatomy. Nicole recently got foot surgery and rediscovered running; her goal is to run a half marathon before she is 25. After college she plans to move into the city (Chicago) with a American bulldog, attend graduate school at night and hopefully write for Chicago Magazine or another fun and upcoming project.