In this chatty GRWM, I’m talking about recently turning 21 and how weirdly “full adult” it feels to finally be able to drink legally in the US. But the plot twist is… I’ve never been a big drinker. I didn’t drink in high school, and when I got to college I honestly wanted to prove to myself that I could still have fun without alcohol—so I still went out, just sober. And I feel like people don’t talk about that enough, because college culture makes it feel super all-or-nothing: either you don’t go out at all, or you’re doing the most. I also share the mixed reactions I got when people found out I wasn’t drinking—everything from assumptions about religion, to people acting like it was “lame,” to the friends who genuinely didn’t care because they knew I could keep up. For me, not drinking helped me figure out who my real friends were, and it kept my social life from becoming reliant on alcohol. I’m also such a memory hoarder (photos, journaling, all of it), and I wanted to actually remember my nights out. Now when I do drink, it’s because I want to—not because I feel like I have to—and if you’ve been thinking about trying going out sober, this is your sign that it’s okay.