Why I will never, ever do drugs at university

While I’ve never been the biggest party animal on the planet, I know how to have a good time. If I’m in the mood I can drink my body weight in vodka and dance until I feel as if my toes have fallen off. But while I can do all of this, there’s one thing I’ll never do: drugs.

In an age where it’s now the norm to bomb Selly Oak’s finest mandy with your glass of wine or snort a few lines off a toilet in Snobs, it has never been my thing. People may say that uni is the prime time for you to explore yourself and “experiment”, but I’m not going to put myself at risk for the sake of a half hour high.

Some of you will be thinking “stop being a wuss and have a go”. But the reason I won’t do them, quite frankly, is because I’m scared. I don’t like the idea of putting something in my body that I can’t control. It makes me anxious, and the worrying will never outweigh the potential benefits. This isn’t to deride the people who do take drugs. It’s more to say that I can still be a “proper” fun student without them.

I’ll stick to spirits, thanks

While alcohol is known for bringing down the best of us, a few drinks have never made me lose control of myself because my body knows how to handle it. Yeah I get hammered, but I know when to stop drinking and drag myself home. There’s always this degree of control with drinking.

It’s different with drugs, Sure, they have different effects on everyone. But what scares me the most is the wheel of side-effects we don’t get to pick from. It was only recently that an 18-year-old died at The Rainbow – on his first ever night out – because of a bad batch of ecstasy.

It’s not like buying your shopping where you can stick to your branded MDMA. Every dealer has their own supply channels and half the time they never know exactly what’s in it – let alone you. I can hardly ask for a list of nutritional information: “excuse me mate, but how many calories are in this speed, and is it suitable for vegans?”

The only drugs I need

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against drugs and I’m not against people doing them. It’s a personal choice and everyone has the right to experience life however they choose. Just because I won’t do them, doesn’t mean I’m going to disown anyone who does. I’ve got friends who will happily have a bit of mandy on a night out, and that’s fine.

But – and here comes the cliché – I don’t need drugs to have a good time. A lot of the time it seems people only have them so they can party that bit longer, and because it makes them feel good. But only a few weeks ago I was at my work’s Christmas do, partying until eight o’clock in the morning, completely drug free.

While my primary reason is because I’m scared, I’m also pretty skint. If I wanted to buy a gram of MDMA, it would cost me around £40. For me, if anything – even food – costs over a tenner it gives me palpitations. Here is a short list of (kind of) valuable things I could buy with £40:

• 9 1/3 Medium Big Mac Meals
• New outfit on ASOS
• Flight to Dublin
• Full tank of petrol for my Citroen C1

£40 is a lot of money to spend on such a small amount of stuff for such a limited high. If it was a high that lasted for three days then hey, maybe I’d reconsider because that shit is worth the money. But I think for now I’ll keep it, and spend it on some Big Macs. All 9 1/3 of them.

If you want to do drugs, I’m not going to stop you. The strongest pills I’ll pop are paracetamol and half the time I won’t even take them. But just because I don’t take drugs, doesn’t mean I’m not a “proper” student, or incapable of having a good time. There’s nothing more annoying than being called a bore because you don’t want a share of your friend’s stash of mandy. If I want to say no that’s my personal choice, just like it’s yours to say yes.

I may be a wuss for saying no or admitting that I’m scared, but I’ll enjoy my night not being able to feel my legs and seeing two of everyone just from the effects of Vodka.