Let's Party. . . but sober.

If you’ve ever watched a movie or TV show about college, you know that drinking and partying are kind of part of the expected “college experience.” 

Parties can be fun… but it can be exhausting if everyone around you is drinking and you’re not. By sophomore year, I didn’t feel like going to those parties anymore, but I felt left out because it was hard to find similar fun experiences with a lot of people but no alcohol.
    
It turns out, other people felt the same way I did about partying. Before long, I found a whole group of students who wanted to have fun on the weekends but in a different way. Enter: SOBER PARTIES! 

They’re just like a regular parties with music, water pong, and people, but without drunk people bumping into you or the post-party hangover. We also provide pizza and drinks (name another party that does that). 
    
After our first party, we were all surprised at the amount of people who showed up and how much fun we had. It was also way easier to host than we thought it would be; there wasn’t any mess to clean or damage to the house or people we had to kick out. 
    
Sober parties are the perfect chill vibe I’ve been searching for when I want to socialize. I didn’t feel like I had to meet the expectations to dress up or put on extra make-up or act like someone I’m not. 

For me, this party allowed me to be myself and have fun doing it. The best part is that it gives everyone that same chance; whether you avoid the usual party scene or simply want a one night break from it, our goal is to provide another place during the weekend to be who you want to be. 
For all the great things that Augustana has, it was missing something. Sober parties fill that missing niche. The most encouraging part is that not only do my housemates and I feel like we've started something really special, but that the people who came to our first party are already asking when our next one is! Don't worry, we're already planning it. 

Hopefully, the sober party legacy can live on with another group of students after us. For now, we're focusing on having parties that are more and more fun without the drugs and alcohol.