Since When Did Being Sober Become Unfashionable?

I have never been that much of a drinker. Of course, I’ve been drunk, paraletic at times, but I’ve never drank for two days in a row. My ‘friends’ on the other hand, seem to be the next generation of alcoholics, or drug addicts. For example, this week is half term from school and when I ask my friends online what they are doing today, they say.. “Oh probz getting mashed or stoned”. All of my friends, with a few exceptions are under 18. Their lives seem to revolve around getting intoxicated with various substances. Strangely enough, its the lads who smoke drugs. Girls do it but not as heavily, the girls are the ‘drinkers’ of the group. When I say drinkers, I don’t mean a bottle-of-WKD-and-half-a-lager. I mean a crate of beer, litre of vodka and maybe a two litre bottle of cider. I used to have a drink every weekend at one point, but now I’ve gone off alcohol. Now, I’m considered boring! Because I don’t want to drink, I’m boring.

Brilliant.

Humans are sociable creatures by nature, so why do we feel the need to get drunk or high to be able to communicate and socialise with our peers? When theres no drink or drugs to go round (I.E. theres no money to spend on them) People will stay out for an hour, then go home, claiming that it’s ‘boring’. It seems like I’m exagerrating, but really I’m not. Heres a conversation from yesterday with my friend:

Me: what you been up 2?
Her: not alot jus gerin masht n dat init lol
Her: Wuu2 todaii?
Me: Not much really, you?
Her: gerin masht lol
Me: it’s monday haha your liver is going be like a raisin when you’re 21
Her: Fk it man haha
Me: I haven’t had a drink since christmas day.
Her: fk tht.. Thats boring!

It’s quite scary to think that my friends cannot go out without drinking as thats what alcoholics do, in my opinion. I don’t have to have a drink or a spliff to hold a conversation with someone, but trying to hold a conversation with someone who’s not sober is like pulling teeth, because theyre so off their faces and can’t string two words together. Is insecurities or a lack of confidence the reason behind so much drinking? Do we have to lose all our inhibitions to talk to our friends? When it comes to either sitting on a park bench, unable to keep my head up with a £3 bottle of cider clutched in my hands, sick stuck to my hair and dirt smudged all over my face, or a nice cup of tea at home with a scary DVD, I would pick the cup of tea anytime.
Maybe I’m just getting old, but after all, I’m only 16.