Is it likely to be a problem socially if I don't drink at university?

Well although I do have fun drinking, I am going to have to disagree with you about alcohol being fun.

What's that got to do with the question of alcohol?

Either stay on topic or go post elsewhere.

I don't enjoy cocaine myself or ectasy, its just not for me, so seems reasonable that some may feel the same about alcohol and amazingly enough some may not even enjoy sex.

Well, hello! You've met one now in yours truly. If you go back a page, you'll meet another who clearly says that alcohol affects her negatively and that she enjoys herself much better without it.



As for the "lots of people" who converted to drinking, well how wonderful for them. But you're making a lot of assumptions about the OP here and their experiences with alcohol.

And also - comparing alcohol with sex just because they're both considered in a general sense to be enjoyable is flawed in regards to the point of this thread. Sex can also be destructive for some, but that's another discussion for another thread. Should we encourage people to have casual sex frequently because if not, they would have less fun?

Are you seriously saying that alcohol is always a "fun thing" for everyone and that everyone that says they don't like it are only saying that because they must be mistaken?

I guess we will have to agree to disagree on that one!

Did you mean to contradict yourself?

Either you think drinking alcohol is fun, in which case you agree with me, or you think it is not, in which case I assume you are now teetotal.

I just don't understand how you feel you can answer my original question if you have never tried it. I don't enjoy cocaine myself or ectasy, its just not for me, so seems reasonable that some may feel the same about alcohol and amazingly enough some may not even enjoy sex.

You know where the report button is.

You do know it is both possible to enjoy and and not enjoy yourself on separate occasions while doing the same thing right? When I was young drinking was generally fun, now it isn't. I'm not teetotal as I still like a social pint, but I'm just trying to put across that drinking isn't all fun and games.

So what you're saying is that when you were young you liked drinking, but now you are not young you like drinking a social pint, which is of course just another form of drinking.

So you have always liked drinking and still do, just in different ways.

ok I appear to have missed the bit where you contradict me.

I have to agree with py0alb. There are so many different types of alcoholic beverages that it's just very very very unlikely that you don't enjoy at least one of them unless you're somehow allergic to alcohol. By not your drinking alcohol, you're limiting your social life. You don't need alcohol to have fun just like you don't need friends to have fun but they both help. If you want to immerse yourself in student life, which alcohol is a part of, then you're going to have to at least try a couple different drinks.

If you're doing it for religious reasons, then you could always hang out with your religious society but that does limit your social life.

Alcohol doesn't affect anyone negatively who doesn't having an underlying psychological issue. Thats an exception, granted, but its a pretty damn rare one and I don't think we can assume it applies to the OP.

Alcohol has something to give to everyone, if you don't like it, then you're doing it wrong.

Okay I'll rephrase myself. Binge-drinking is overrated, and slowly becomes tedious and no longer becomes fun.

If someone didn't enjoy sex, we'd assume they were depressed and prescribe medication.

Perhaps the same logic could be applied to someone who doesn't enjoy alcohol?

Of course, most people who think they don't enjoy alcohol haven't actually tried it properly, they've just done something stupid like necking a bottle of vodka then thrown up on their shoes.

If someone didn't enjoy sex, we'd assume they were depressed and prescribe medication. Perhaps the same logic could be applied to someone who doesn't enjoy alcohol?

Okay I'll rephrase myself. Binge-drinking is overrated, and slowly becomes tedious and no longer becomes fun.

As someone who also doesn't drink, I have to massively disagree with this point. If anything, i've found people at Uni want to make more of an effort to make sure I feel involved. It's never been a problem for me, especially in the last year, as i'm able to join in with the humour etc without alcohol, but nevertheless i've seen nothing but support and enthusiasm for my no-drinking.

You certainly don't have to try any alcohol to get along just fine at Uni. That's just simply not true.

What's the longest time you've drank consecutively whilst at uni and going out?

I am hoping to apply to Cambridge but there seems to be a lot of drinking societies and something like 90% of students drink; when you factor in all of those who don't drink for religious or health reasons that leaves seemingly very few people in my situation and I am wondering if it is likely to be a disadvantage socially. I have no problem being around those who do drink but I don't want it to get in the way of both study and my relationship with other people.

Thanks for any replies

Never. I don't drink. And I know it isn't something that has, in any way, halted me from any experience at University.