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YADA is back again with a positively worth-the-wait type of blog that won’t disappoint…

Sober student, Amelia Hopkinson, also the Mental Health Awareness Officer at the University of Derby shares her very empowering tips to becoming a sober student.

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University. The prime time of your life where studying often takes a backseat. Clubbing, parties and most importantly alcohol becomes many students’ focus. However, how important is alcohol when you want to have a good time?

My Journey…

I have been sober for the last two years of my life and the entirety of my university life. There was certainly an element of anxiety when I moved over three hours away from home knowing I wasn’t invested in the alcoholic culture that is so prevalent to so many.

So let me set the record straight. Alcohol is not the magical elixir that you must consume to have a good time. I am an incredibly social person. I love a concert, a night out with the girls or even a club night with the university societies I’m a part of! And I can promise you… I’m a load of fun.

There is certainly a tough societal norm that you have to fight with when you choose not to drink and at first, you may find it difficult to be a bit different from everyone else. I still get the usual questions, “Why don’t you drink?” and “What about you just have one?”. The answers to those questions are yours and yours only. Nobody is obliged to know the backstory behind your sobriety.

The choice is yours!

Peer pressure to drink definitely exists and that’s why it is important to have a group of friends that you can trust to back your corner when other people aren’t so understanding.

I would never push people to be sober, I appreciate that people massively enjoy alcohol. However, I would push the idea of drinking mindfully. Are you enjoying the taste of your drink? Or are you just drinking to get plastered? I think these are important questions that you can ask yourself to evaluate why you’re actually drinking.

You are not alone!

Sobriety is far more popular now among young people; in a 2015 survey from BMC Public Health, 29% of 16 to 24-year-olds identified as non-drinkers, up 11% from 2009.

So, although you may feel incredibly isolated, there are more of us than you think!

There are multiple reasons that people are sober. Some are on medicines that you can’t mix with alcohol, some are sober for mental health reasons, some have a bad history with alcohol in the family. However, some people CHOOSE to be sober simply because they can. I know this concept may baffle you but the concept of being sober is very appealing to many.

It’s fun being sober!

A false conception with not drinking is that you’re uninteresting and not as much of a ‘laugh’. Have faith in your personality! If you’re only fun when you’ve got alcohol in your system… then I’d say you’re pretty boring!

If this piece has sparked your interest, I would recommend following some sober communities online. They often have meetups where you can meet like-minded people, YADA is also a great place to start that has plenty of non-alcoholic options to explore.

To end my little sober speech, I want to remind you that if you choose not to drink… you are enough, you are fun to be around and I’m proud of you.

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What an inspiring and encouraging read! Follow and check out Amelia’s Instagram as she shares her sober student journey on there. We also got the chance to do an Instagram live with her for our StopTober Series that you can watch here.

If you enjoyed this blog, we have plenty more like ‘The Best Student Hangout Spots In Derby’ and ‘Top 10 Teetotal Party Games’ all to aid you on this new journey to living alcohol-free.

At YADA, we also have an online store full of different drinks that you check out right now! Feel free to even pop into our store on Green Lane and say hi!

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This blog was concocted by Amelia Hopkinson