Many young people in college give themselves to partying and drinking alcohol, and it is very common for most college students to drink heavily on weekends. It has become part of the college culture, but what are the dangers of partying this way? What if you are one who has decided that you want to stay away from alcohol altogether? How do you do it?

The Dangers

Some of the dangers of drinking heavily and partying while in college is the potential for your grades to slump. If you are focusing all your energy on partying and drinking on the weekends then are you spending adequate time studying and doing homework? Also, many students party on Sunday nights despite the fact that they have to be at school on Monday. Showing up to class with a hangover is not fun nor is it helpful.

Since there is so much drinking going on in colleges, due to new found freedom and the ample resource, there is also a lot of pregnancies that happen as well as the transmission of STD’s. When you are under the influence of alcohol your inhibitions are lowered and you do things that you wouldn’t normally do. Many college students practice unsafe sex simply because they are under the influence of alcohol and they don’t think straight enough to use protection or not have sex altogether. Students and people in general become careless when intoxication happens.

Learn more stats about college drinking here at www.niaaa.nih.gov

How to Stay Away

If you are one of the rare ones who would like to stay away from alcohol altogether while at college, then you will have a battle ahead of you to fight. Though it is not the easiest to stay away from alcohol while in college, it is possible.

First, you should let your friends know where you stand. A true friend won’t try and tempt you into doing something you don’t want to do. Instead of going to bars or parties where you know there will be drinking, go to coffee shops or places where there is “dry” entertainment. Check out theatre productions, museums, or movies. Get creative. There are a ton of other options

Find people who share the same desire as you do to stay sober and away from alcohol. Together you can have parties and things together while still staying in your right mind. You can have fun apart from using a substance.

There is no doubt that alcohol can be used safely and responsibly, but it is also true that a lot of alcohol abuse happens on college campuses. There are a lot of dangers that come with binge drinking in college so be smart and drink responsibly if you decide that you do want to drink. If you are not interested in drinking then you have to be proactive in finding friends who share the same desire and you have to figure out what hobbies you will take part in. Just because you don’t drink alcohol in college doesn’t mean that your social life has to be over. It is what you make of it.