A full social life without alcohol

Whether you do not drink for reasons of faith, health, sport or simple preference, you can have a busy, happy social life at university. This lesson is about finding and building those plans; the Alcohol, Drugs, Vaping and Gambling module covers the facts and the law.

You are far from the only one

• A 2024 YouGov survey for the Portman Group, reported by Wonkhe, found that 39% of 18 to 24-year-olds in the UK do not drink alcohol at all.
• The same source reports that 44% of 18 to 24-year-olds drink low or no-alcohol alternatives at least occasionally.
• Lancaster Students' Union notes a growing number of students cutting down or stopping drinking completely.
• UCAS states plainly that there is no pressure to go out and get drunk during freshers' week.
• Many students from the GCC, and many others, live this way already, so non-drinking groups are easy to find once you look.

Where to find alcohol-free plans

• UCAS lists board game nights, film screenings and escape rooms as alternatives to nights out in welcome week.
• Some Students' Unions have societies built around this. Lancaster's 'Sober Socials' society runs events 'where drinking alcohol is not the focus', open to drinkers and non-drinkers alike.
• Faith and cultural societies (for example an Islamic Society, a Gulf or Arab society, or an international students' society) usually run alcohol-free events, iftars and dinners.
• Sports clubs, volunteering groups, hiking, debating, music and gaming societies all centre on an activity rather than a bar.
• Search your Students' Union events page for words such as 'sober', 'alcohol-free', 'board games', 'coffee' or 'quiz'.

Ideas you can organise yourself

• Winchester Student Union suggests: a film night with shared snacks or takeaway, a quiz with soft drinks or mocktails, a coffee morning, a games night, a group 'bake off', a walk or hike with a picnic, and a cafe crawl.
• York Students' Union lists ideas such as an international cafe and trampolining.
• Cook-together nights work well in shared flats: everyone brings one dish from home (see the Cooking for Others and Hosting module).
• Day-time plans (brunch, markets, museums, sport) avoid the late-night drinking scene entirely and are often cheaper.

Going to mixed events on your own terms

• You can enjoy a night out with friends who drink while you do not. Decide in advance when you will arrive and leave, and how you will get home.
• Have a drink in your hand that you chose, such as a soft drink or mocktail; people ask fewer questions.
• Keep your answer short if asked: 'I don't drink, but I'm happy to be here.' You do not owe an explanation. A Wonkhe SU blog puts it simply: 'No is a sentence.'
• If a place or a group keeps making you uncomfortable, it is fine to leave and to choose different plans next time. The Choices module covers drink spiking and looking out for friends.

When your flat goes clubbing

• The general secretary of Lancaster's Sober Socials, interviewed by the Students' Union, described going to board game nights with other flats in the block when their own flatmates went clubbing.
• Getting to know people across your block or building widens your circle beyond your own flat.
• Suggest something you can all do together earlier in the evening, such as a flat dinner, before people head out.
• If you would like more alcohol-free events, tell your Students' Union. Wonkhe recommends unions provide alcohol-free options at every event and never assume someone drinks.