Context: I now complete non-drinker for two years, I used to drink 'socially' at weddings.
I am a very social and outgoing person. I am afraid that I will miss out and struggle to fit in during uni if I do not drink. To what extent is this true?
It depends on friends, events you like to go to but also yourself. If your friends get offended you don't drink then they will leave you out, but thats on them and not you. But generally it isn't a lot to worry about
If I do not drink, will I still be invited to parties and social events.
Yes you will. If you aren't getting invited, don't stress, it may not have to do with drinking and if it does you wouldn't want to go to those events in general.
I’m the type of person who would enjoy clubbing but how likely is it that my friends will accept me if I don’t drink?
As others have said if they're your friends, they'll accept it. My club meetings are at the local pub and all of them have accepted I don't drink, no matter how much they insist on it (Which can be annoying sometimes, but thats another topic in general).
Also how common is it for uni students to avoid drinking? Is it very uncommon?
Its quite common, but its not noticed due to the events you may go to, the environment around you and who you hang out with. I tend to have a lot more mature aged uni student friend who rarely drink at all, so whenever I attend events with them, its more likely to have less uni student drinking. Now if your friends with like people who enjoy going to parties, raves, etc then maybe you'll feel that drinking is common. It really comes down to exposure and keeping an open mind.
Also are non alcoholics judged and made fun of or does it not matter?
Yes! They do. Its not your fault! Never ever feel you should drink because of this. The people who judge you aren't worth your time and are doing it because they feel insecure about themselves (in my experience anyway). I would say know your boundaries. I'm find with my friends shit talking me about it, but if a stranger did that to me I would feel uncomfortable. Know yourself and the person doing it. My friends all accept I don't drink and if they make fun of me for it, its purely for banter and lighthearted fun. But know the difference between them bantering with you and mocking you.
How much does uni social life revolve around drinking? Will I be missing out on a lot?
It revolves a lot around drinking. I won't lie about that. You could miss out a lot, but in my experience not going to another pub crawl, party, rave, festival, drinking tour, etc isn't going to kill your social life. Take in moderation and balance. My friends still invite me to pub crawls because they like having me around and also they know I'll keep them in check from doing something stupid when they get drunk - as you do.
If I choose to drink, how can I hide this from my parents. (If I’m living with them)
I don't recommend hiding it but if you must know your limits. If you can only handle one shot of vodka for a night, then stick to it. You want to drink where your still relatively sober. But its hard to stick to that limit and I wouldn't advise hiding it at all nor drinking if your parents are against you doing it. But you can always have a discussion on you drinking if you feel your parents will change their stance for you.
My advice to you is to think by yourself and write down why you drink or not drink. Print it and put it somewhere where you can refer to it. I understand going against the norm is hard, whenever everyone else is doing it, but you are not everyone else. You are you. Do what you want and feel safe in your values of drinking or not drinking.
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