Reddit: Girl Wants Sober Party For Her Birthday

Whether it’s a celebration, a night with friends, or a family gathering, people attend or organize parties for various reasons. When done responsibly, partying can bring joy and create warm memories.

Young people, in particular, often see it as an occasion to drink as if there’s no tomorrow. But what happens when you don’t want alcohol at your birthday party? A young woman shared her experience on the social platform Reddit.

The OP, soon turning 22, is planning a birthday party but wants it to be alcohol-free.

The original poster (21F) is planning to throw a birthday party with 10-15 of her friends. She wishes for a sober party, which would be hardly approved by her friends—all of them drinkers.

She doesn’t drink and often ends up as the one to take care of drunk friends while being the only sober one at parties.

The author of the post explains that she doesn’t drink alcohol, citing a history of alcoholism in the family and religious beliefs, among other reasons. But this is not the case with her friends. As young adults, many of her peers discover the freedom of surpassing the drinking age limit and indulging in binge drinking at parties.

Last year, her request for an alcohol-free birthday party was misunderstood, and her friends brought their own drinks.

She made an attempt to boycott drinking at her previous birthday party, but since she was turning 21, her friends thought she didn’t want alcohol for herself. It turned out that all of them brought their own drinks.

Young adults’ relationship with alcohol is complicated. Finally, they are allowed to bite from the ‘forbidden fruit,’ but instead of responsible consumption, many end up abusing alcohol.

Drinkaware research in the UK reveals that four in five young adults (aged 18–24) are more likely to drink at high-risk or dependent levels compared to other age groups.

While she doesn’t mind being the only sober person, she explained that some friends become obnoxious when drunk, leaving her to handle them, which can be energy-draining.

Being the only sober one at parties can be a lot of fun in most of the cases, the author admits. On the other hand, some of the friends become obnoxious when drunk, and she would have to handle the situation. As an example, she mentions how a friend got cross while drunk last weekend and spread flour throughout the host’s apartment.

Some young adults might find it hard to cope with social events without alcohol, which works as a social-anxiety-numbing agent that eases reserved behavior.

Instead of cleaning up after her friends or walking them home, she simply wishes for a night of dancing and fun.

On the day of our birth, all of us want to feel special and cared for. So it’s not a surprise the author wishes for a trouble-free evening with her friends, without pregaming or bringing their own drinks.