Do you want a Drink?

When I got accepted to Penn State in February, I literally cried. It wasn't tear of depression, it was tears of joy. I felt like all of my hard work  spent on homework assignments, quizzes, and exams I took in high school was finally worth it. People from my city was proud of me, and I couldn't wait to go to college.

Now, before I went to college, I was always in an environment where smoking marijuana was always condone. Of course, some people drank Hennessy and Cîroc, but it was nothing too extreme that will make me scared for my friends' liver.  However, as soon as I came to Penn State, that all changed.

Before I continue, I never tried drinking any type of liquor or smoked any substance. I been straight edge for 18 years straight, and expect to continue so. However, living at Penn State, it is extremely hard continuing this path because underage drinking is a norm here. I never seen so much people that are enamored with drinking beer and liquor. Liquor is at parties, dorm rooms, and even disguised in the form of Gatorade( this is called a chaser). There is no escaping from it. I guess you can say that it is justifiable since we work hard during the week days so it is fair that we drink on the weekends, but still.

One of my closest friends named Kyle has the worst bladder due to all of the drinking he has done. He literally has to go to the bathroom every 5 minutes since the alcohol already did damage to his liver. Kyle is not the only one that had severe affects done to his body. Other people are nearly addicted to alcohol and literally can not stop even if they tried. Nothing is wrong with an occasional drink here and there, but chugging 12 Natty lights at a party and pre game before is literally destroying your body.

Beer chug

When I am at parties, people wonder how am I dancing sober and enjoying everything that goes on without alcohol consumption. Don't get me wrong, there are temptations that make me want to fall in this peer pressure since EVERYONE is literally drinking, but I am still determined to continue being straight edge. But the question I always think of at night is: who gets more respect? Those that never tried drinking before or those that can chug a beer keg non stop?

Why not just try it? Technically, everything we eat destroys our body in some type of fashion. Technically getting drunk is classified as "living life". What's the harm? Those that took a sip of alcohol yesterday are still walking today? Of course there might be that annoying hangover, but isn't it worth the legendary night you had before? I don't know... I just feel like I don't have to drink due to the fact that this is what makes me stand out from the rest. I like the fact that I don't fall into peer pressure, that I can have a good time being sober, that I still got the same confidence I have now to talk to a female at a party. People tell me that they drink due to the fact that they become more sociable instead of reclusive. Some people tell me that they literally hate the taste of beer, but they continue to do it because they feel better when they are more "lose". But I am not like those people. I don't need alcohol to have those characteristics because I exemplify that on a daily basis. I am Khalil Dunham-Carson. I'm not you. But I never judge those that do drink since that's your own decision, but all because everyone else is doing it, that doesn't mean I have too.