Naomi Joseph, from the University of Kent, writes for The National Student on why it’s perfectly normal not to want to drink at uni:

Yes, I’ll admit it. I’m that friend. The one who groans inwardly at the words “pre-drinks” because she knows that means we’ll never get to the main event on time, in time or at all. Meeting someone who doesn’t drink to get drunk in a place like university is like trying to find happiness in a Sylvia Plath novel – it rarely happens. University is the place where the drinking culture is at its peak and so it can be difficult not to feel pressured into continuously downing shots alongside everyone else.

There are numerous reasons as to why you might only drink or little or refrain entirely from alcohol, whether it be for religious or health or any other reasons. Sometimes you’re just not in the mood, or maybe by the end of fresher’s week you’ve had enough alcohol to fill the Titanic. Whatever the reason, many students feel socially ostracised by their decision to refrain from getting blind drunk. There seems to be a stigma attached to non-drinkers and non-drunkers (people that drink without getting drunk) that they replace alcohol with looks of judgement and disdain upon their fellow friends.

Full article here.