As an incoming college freshman, I've obviously been worried about the possibility of there being alcohol present and the social pressures that accompany it. My college, UCF, has a required module that every freshman prior to entrance on campus must take, and it is quite informative. Yet, it really didn't have any resources for those who are already struggling with alcohol. Does anyone have any helpful website/organization/advice on this topic that they'd like to share?
Drinking in college is definitely huge but it's also avoidable if you're not interested. Basically every party you go to will have plenty of cheap beer and cheap liquor going around, and if it's a frat party it's usually offered freely to everyone there. I don't regret drinking in college, it was never a big problem for me. But if you're certain you want to abstain from it the best advice I can give you is to stay away from parties in general unless you have incredible willpower!
Drinking in college is a very big thing at the moment. A lot of parties will contain alcohol if not all of them. Trust me, you will encounter a party one way or another. It is not bad to go to one, but just make sure that you control yourself and pour your own drinks. Do not let anyone pour a drink for you! It is possible that they could slip something weird in there or even mix an alcoholic drink with the punch or something.
College drinking isn't big at the moment - it's always been a big thing. However, it's not that difficult to avoid alcohol, depending upon what you do on a typical night and how good your friends are. The best thing a person can do if they're uncomfortable about drinking is say no and then not drink. Peer pressure isn't nearly as present in college, unless you're in a frat or sorority or have terrible friends.
I feel for you. When I went to college, I have been introduced to the world of drinking and smoking. I absolutely loved drinking alcohol with my friends, but I never did try smoking. But yeah, they can be really avoided as long as you don't let those temptations get the best of you. It's just fine to do fun things once in a while, but don't get too high on them. Prioritize your studies first.
College drinking has always went on and always will. It is the first time that most young people are away from home and they can do what they please without having their parents around. Some of them take it to extreme because it is all a part of their new found freedom. A lot of them give into the peer pressure and they want to fit in with others. If you don't want to be a part of it you should feel comfortable saying no and meaning it. You can still go out and attend events and have a good time without having to drink or smoke.
I think this is mostly a problem for females. If I had a daughter at college I'd definitely be worried to death about them. You just never know when some kid is going to try something stupid such as drugging a young girl. I'd advise young college women to be very careful who they trust.
For what it's worth, I never really developed a full blow drinking problem until I was in my 30's. I drank regularly in college, but I never drank heavily. In other words, I would go out and socialize a few times a week, and have a beer or two each time, but not get hammered. Trying to juggle work and school doesn't leave you much time to get smashed on a regular basis, as opposed to when I was done with school and only had to go to work, so I would have entire evenings to myself to drink if I chose to. I wouldn't get too spooked about peer pressure - if you don't want to drink, then don't drink - just make up some medical excuse that you're on strong meds and can't mix alcohol with them. Otherwise, if you do want to enjoy a drink now and then but don't want to get pressured into drinking too much, just nurse your drinks all night and never let others see you with a near empty cup, then they won't be persuaded to start handing you refills and shots. You can just decline and tell them thanks but you're good.
I would abide by your college regulations rather than by your college classmates/roommates. Depending on your college, you might find useful information browsing through the student-related pages that all colleges and universities have online. These are two examples of them: http://wheatoncollege.edu/policies/home/alcohol/ https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/studentlife/counselingcenter/infosheets/alcoholuse.html
I just want to be sure with your question. So you are already struggling with alcohol? or you want to avoid alcohol while in college? Just curious. Anyway my answer would probably the same, don't rely on the module, go to the campus offices, if there is a counseling center then you can probably ask them. Looking at your campus's website, I believe that the Wellness and health promotion services (http://whps.sdes.ucf.edu/) would be a good place to start. In a University, i believe that eventually, you will find a group that share your goal and views. You just have to look around.
The best way to avoid alcohol in college is to inform yourself of the multiple ills of the substance. It might sound silly but watching and understanding all the negative interactions that can occur due to the substance will give you more reasons in your arsenal to refrain from drinking.
Think that if you do not like it, they cannot force you to drink no matter how hard they will try. There are always temptations but we are ale to say No and have control over it. You know that it could lead to bad thing and you must be firm.
Here's my advise: enjoy. Drinking during college is fun. But keep in mind that the main reason you are there is to learn. Don't go drinking when you know you have a class the next morning. Sure, you may even pass your class and graduate if you do But that's where the addiction starts. Trust me.
You don't have to do anything you don't want to. If you want to have a drink, do it on weekends. The real problem is not having a time or day to drink. People who don't care about what day or time they drink are the ones who usually end up messed up with alcohol. Program yourself, pick a day of the week and don't drink any other day, no matter what comes up. No one can study with a hangover.
Having a drinking problem in college is hellish, the whole environment is based around getting "fucked up" and drinking until you have no idea what's going on. Even for people without drinking problems this is a harsh environment and not really healthy overall.
Hard to escape college campus lifestyles of partying. It's the way people celebrate independence. It can get crazy at times. There are groups and out reach programs that will help you through the transition if you are the type to go out and look for them. I personally like to stay in doors and mind my own business. That seemed to work for me. Just stay in your dorm room and don't go out to these gatherings and parties. That's all they do is drink and part. Best to just stay home and study.
Make friends with people who have other interests immediately. As an incoming freshman, the friends you make your first year of college will have a lot of influence on your choices while you are there, so if you don't want to get caught up in the drinking crowd, then you will need to seek out and befriend people who are of a like mind with you. The reason I say this is because drinking is so prevalent on college campuses that, if you do not have support in the way of a good group of non-drinking friends, it will become increasingly difficult to resist falling into.
Drinking and college seem to go hand in hand together and have done for a number of years now. I'm not saying that's right or wrong, but it does seem to just be accepted as part of growing up process. Everyone can choose what they want to do, if you want to drink then drink, if you don't then you don't have to. It's a s simple as that really, peer pressure gets blamed for a lot of problems, especially when it comes to drink and drugs, but it's up to the individual to take control of their own life at the end of the day.
I mean, I do feel like colleges are one of the most concentrated places of peer pressure—everyone is legally allowed to drink alcohol there, so there isn't really any "reason" not to. My opinion is this: if you have to drink, drink. Drink but not too much!
I am seeing a lot of posts here that seem to say that it is fine to drink while you are in college because it is part of growing up and it is a widely accepted practice. While I don't completely disagree with this thinking, I would like to issue a word of caution to the incoming freshman who started the thread and to others out there getting ready to go to college because the habits you develop while you are in college can stay with you for many years after you graduate. I know many adults out there who went to the same school I did, and although they are fairly successful from a financial standpoint, they are still alcoholics. I just want to warn these kids that after 4 years of partying, it may not be so easy to stop, and then you find yourself at 50 years old, with gout and still unable to stop drinking liquor on a daily basis.