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Sindeworld

Mixing daffy dancing with sober Saturdays

Erin Sindewald '08

During a dinner conversation from my not-too-distant past, an anonymous acquaintance commented, "You were, like, totally wasted at Harris last night, Erin"

"Actually, no," I corrected. "I don't drink."

A confused silence ensued.

"But-but, you were dancing like you were drunk," he/she/gender-neutral finally insisted. "You were twirling. And skipping. And jerking your knees every which way. And you kept making very peculiar facial expressions."

"I like to dance," I replied simply.

"But sometimes you looked like you were just running in place," the individual protested. "And I think I saw you doing jumping jacks."

"I'm not a good dancer," I explained.

"You're sure you weren't drunk?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes!"

So I've been accused more than once of being an eccentric dancer (I use eccentric as a euphemism for "the type of person whose affinity for the Electric Slide at wedding receptions causes her sister to cower in embarrassment behind the tray of shrimp tails"), and I've been accused more than once of alcohol playing a role in this eccentricity.

But my concern at the moment is not to defend my incompetent dancing abilities, but to explain, and I suppose defend, my decision to adopt an alcohol-free lifestyle. Just what the heck is my deal, anyway?

Firstly, I don't think that alcohol is inherently evil, or that people who drink are bad. I don't believe that nondrinkers are better or morally superior to drinkers. I'm not just waiting to turn 21 before delving into the world of shots and kegs and chasers.

I simply have no desire to drink. It's a matter of preference. Some people aren't fond of broccoli and cheese Hot Pockets. Others would prefer not to listen to Weird Al's "Bad Hair Day" while working out. I am not a fan of alcohol or many of the aspects of drinking culture.

I dislike obnoxious behavior. I'm not a fan of having beer spilt on my head. I don't like it when people break things and tear down all the flyers in the loggias. I don't enjoy urinating off porches. I don't like slipping on spilled drinks. I think the world would do just fine with less vomit in bushes, in bathroom sinks, on dormitory floors.

However, this list undoubtedly leads to the rebuttal, "Well, you sure can drink and not do any of the abovementioned things. You can drink and not be drunk." While I do agree that there is always the case of the individual who drinks to be social and not to get drunk, this qualification does not resolve my prime motivation to remain sober. In a nutshell, I am extremely uncomfortable with the idea of using a chemical, a drug, to have fun.

I do not need nor desire an altered consciousness to enhance my weekend enjoyment. I can go to a dance, to a party, to a movie, to a small gathering of friends, and for me, that's enough. I think that life is sweet even when sober, that the people in my life are fascinating in themselves, that consciousness is not to be feared, but to be embraced. Now, I don't share these views in order to harbor an "us and them" mentality. I'm not trying to convert anyone. People drink. I understand that. I accept it. I'm not judging those who do it. Most of my friends drink, and I still love them and they still love me.

Yet one of the difficulties I find as a non-drinker (aside from the loneliness that can stem from being the only sober person in the room) is that when I go to a party and politely decline a plastic cup, some people assume I'm there to cross my arms and glare at them. I like to have fun, too. I don't go out with intention to scowl at the actions of others. Please don't get defensive and think that because I choose not to drink that I also choose to loathe those who do. Would you have serious issues with someone who hates papaya when it's your favorite dried fruit? Methinks not.

Drinking plays a large role in the social lives of many Grinnellians, but a dry contingent does exist on campus. And as one of those individuals who will continue to rock out at Harris sober, to play Taboo on Saturday nights with my floor mates and perhaps even attend those school sponsored Bingo and Karaoke nights, I want to stress that if you think college life is somewhat diminished with the absence of alcohol, you're mistaken. Many of us are doing quite well without it.

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