I went to The Lash sober, and it was definitely eye opening

New studies carried out by University College London suggest that one third of under 25s are ditching alcohol in place of a sober lifestyle. To be honest, I know very few people at uni who don’t drink, but I still found this intriguing. For most students, drinking doesn’t come in moderation. We’ve all had those nights where you say “I’ll only have one or two drinks”, then end up on the kitchen floor with your head in a bucket.

YOLO, more commonly known as The Lash is a staple night out on Wednesdays, and more often than not, it’s a heavy one. I think we can all agree that there’s nothing worse than getting your timetable at the beginning of the year and seeing you have a 9am scheduled for Thursday morning, which, let’s be honest, you’ll rarely go to. As someone who loves getting royally smashed every time I go out, I took it upon myself to see if I could actually enjoy a sober night out in the SU. While it wasn’t the best night of my life, it was actually not as bad as I was expecting. Here’s the lowdown on what happened when I went to The Lash sober.

BARGING… need I explain the annoyance

The absolute bane of my life. It's bad enough when I'm drunk and people buff my VK arm, but this time it was worse. I have a theory that 90 percent of people at the SU are actually Freshers and have actually never been clubbing before they got to uni. They have no etiquette and seem to think it’s acceptable to push people out the way just to get to the front. And whilst sober I seemed to notice that four foot girls were the worst offenders. If, like me, you’re easily wound up, then you’ll probably go mad within ten minutes if you try and do The Lash sober. But still, I made it through the night.

I was too sensible and it was not fun

Drunk me is careless and reckless and can have fun with anyone, anywhere. Sober me is reserved and more rational. Yes, I may be more sensible, but where’s the fun in that? I realised it wasn't a good night unless I have a VK in each hand.

The confidence issue

With drunkness comes confidence. On a normal night out I make twenty new friends, ten new Instagram followers, and a ridiculously long Snapchat story. There’s something amusing about looking back on your night out and wondering who the hell these new followers are and why you have them. Unfortunately, a sober night just isn’t the same. I wasn’t confident enough to chat to new people or dance with people I hardly knew, and ended up staying with the same small group of people all night. Dancing is always awkward too, like how do you even move your body when you're sober.

I didn't hook up with that 2 who I thought was a 10 while drunk

I don’t even need to go into detail with this one… we’ve all been there when we've checked their Facebook the next day.

On the plus side I had no hangover

Perhaps the best part of not drinking was waking up feeling like an actual human being instead of a zombie void of any life. Remembering to brush my teeth and not waking up with a mouth smelling of stale Fam Fish and regret is particularly satisfying. Although, chips and curry sauce are quite satisfying at 3am.

Unfortunately these weren't for me

The night was cheap AF

There is nothing worse than waking up the next day and looking at your bank statement, especially if you’re particularly generous when you’re drunk like I am. How drunk me thinks it’s acceptable to buy ten Jaeger Bombs for people I’ve known for two minutes I will never know, but unfortunately, it happens. There is definitely nothing better than leaving The Lash knowing you’ve only bought one drink and didn’t even pay for entry. Being sober is definitely a cheaper option.

Finally, I actually it to my lectures on Thursday

Like many people, the whole way through first year I was caught in the trap of saying “it doesn’t count”, and ended up going out way more than I should have, and ultimately missing way more uni than I should have- sorry mum. Unfortunately, we don’t have this luxury in second and third year so probably should start attending as many lectures as possible. My sober night led to me feeling relatively refreshed come 8:30am and I actually made it to my 9am. So, if you’re feeling like you want to put some effort in this year, then going sober is the option for you. Or at least buying a few less VKs.

I made it lads

After my questionable experience of going to Y Plas sober, it’s safe to say that it is possible to go to The Lash and have a good time without the alcohol. If you fancy being sensible and studious then it’s definitely the option for you. However, I have to admit that I won’t be making a habit out of it as the night is always more fun when you're tipsy.