"What do you do on the weekends?"

I can't even count the number of people who have asked me this, especially during the past five months. I do have an active social life and I do know how to have fun, but people are dumbfounded by the fact that I'm one of the few students at MSU who don't drink alcohol.

I also think there are a lot of misconceptions about my decision not to drink, many of which might apply to other nondrinkers as well.

I'm not "straight edge," and I don't think drinking (responsibly) is a bad thing.

I'm not against people who drink, smoke, etc., even though I personally choose not to. I am against some aspects of drinking, such as people drinking to look cool, or people not being able to have fun unless alcohol is involved. While I don't not agree with most students at MSU when it comes to drinking, I do respect them for their lifestyle choices, as I hope they can do for mine.

I do have friends who drink, and I don't pressure them to stop.

In fact, the majority of them do drink. Near the beginning of the year, some friends who used to feel the same as me started drinking. At first I was disappointed in them because they were so against it, then all of a sudden they partied every weekend. It didn't take me long to realize how stupid it was to hold that kind of grudge against someone I care about.

Now it doesn't bother me if my friends drink, and honestly, seeing them a little tipsy is usually hysterical, but I'd rather be observing and laughing than participating.

Just because I don't drink doesn't mean I don't go to parties.

I do go to some, but not that often. It's not because I'm concerned with being around people who are drinking, it's because generally it's just not my crowd. I usually go to parties for special occasions or if there's a live band. In most cases, I'll go with at least one friend who isn't going to drink.

I don't like the taste or smell of alcohol.

Friends have explained how they acquired a taste for it after drinking so often, but why would I force myself to like something I think is gross to begin with?

It's not healthy.

I've heard people say they've gained weight since the beginning of the year and attributed it to drinking. I'm not a health freak by any means, but I do know that alcohol isn't going to help my body.

It's one more thing I don't have to spend money on.

Yeah, I have a job, but I'd rather spend my earnings on other things. Being a college student is expensive, and it's no fun being in the "poor college kid" category.

I don't want to be a person who drinks to "escape my problems."

I don't think this needs an explanation. I also don't like the idea of not being 100 percent in control of what I'm doing or not remembering everything I did the night before.

I'm one of the clumsiest people I know.

Honestly, I trip, fall, hit my head and drop things all the time while sober (although I've yet to join the "I fell off my loft and I was sober" Facebook group). I can only imagine the kind of physical damage I'd wake up with after drinking.

Just because I don't drink now doesn't mean I'll never change.

I'm 18 years old, and I have plenty of time ahead of me. I might choose to drink later on, maybe not until I'm 21, maybe before. If and when I do, it'll be my own choice, not a result of pressure from everyone around me. For now I'm simply not interested.

So I bet you're still wondering, what do I do for fun?

Well first off, I'm extremely busy Sunday through Thursday. I work at least 12 hours a week, I'm taking 15 credits and all my classes are reading intensive. When I get home from work after 9 p.m. on Thursdays, all I want to do is relax, so I usually hang out with my roommate because we've both had a long week and are too tired to do anything else.

A lot of my social life revolves around music. I play guitar and go to concerts when I can.

My friends and I play a lot of group games, like Cranium. I don't just play with friends who don't drink, and yes, they too have fun while sober.

Then of course I hang out with friends, walk around campus, watch movies, I do yoga, I go to campus events, the mall and coffee shops.

Really, I'm just like anyone else on this campus — minus the alcohol.

Laura Leebove is a State News copy editor. You can reach her at leebovel@msu.edu.