The phrases “alcohol-free” and “Ole Miss” might sound like oxymorons. For generations, drinking has been treated as an unavoidable component of the American college experience. Football tailgates, fraternity parties and late nights at the bar have helped define the stereotypical image of life as a student at Ole Miss.
For an increasing number of students, however, that relationship with alcohol may be changing.
Research increasingly shows that young Americans are drinking less than previous generations did at the same age, continuing a decades-long decline in alcohol consumption among teenagers and young adults.
A 2023 Gallup analysis found that 62% of Americans ages 18 to 34 reported drinking alcohol, down from 72% two decades earlier. Young adults were also drinking less frequently and were less likely to report drinking more than they believed they should.
For students at Ole Miss — where Grove weekends, fraternity parties and nights on the Square can make drinking particularly visible — opting out can sometimes mean navigating social environments built around alcohol. But nationally, choosing not to drink is becoming a social norm.
Isabel Baker, a senior integrated marketing communications major from Fond du Lac, Wis., chooses not to consume alcohol. For Baker, the alcohol-free college life did not come without its challenges.
“I definitely used to have (fear of missing out) because drinking is such a normal part of college,” Baker said. “I felt like I had to participate to have the full college experience.”
However, Ryker Loprinzi, a sophomore psychology major from Oxford, said much of the social pressure depends on the people you surround yourself with.
“I think most true friends won’t criticize you for electing to not drink,” Loprinzi said.
Baker said she believes more students are beginning to ditch alcohol without sacrificing the classic Ole Miss experience.
“I think people are starting to prioritize experiences more,” Baker said. “I also think it’s becoming more normal to still go out and just choose not to drink.”
Carter Thompson, a junior economics major from Jackson, Miss., does not think alcohol consumption plays an essential role in having a good time at Ole Miss.
“I don’t think (drinking) makes experiences that much better than if you were sober,” Thompson said. “I think when you are sober, you feel life, events, people in a different way.”
The decline coincides with a broader emphasis on health and wellness among young people.
Fitness routines, sleep tracking, skin care, mental health and healthier eating habits have become parts of a college culture that can clash with the effects of a night of heavy drinking.
Loprinzi, a distance runner, said his physical abilities are enhanced as a result of not drinking.
“I appreciate being able to wake up in the mornings off good nights of sleep and run,” Loprinzi said. “Drinking would definitely impair my ability to recover and feel rested.”
Thompson said the dreaded hangover after a night of drinking disincentivized him to consume alcohol.
“I don’t want to drink two nights a week and feel bad for three days while my body has to recover,” Thompson said.
For some students, drinking less is not necessarily a deep, personal statement against alcohol and those who drink it. Instead, it may simply be one of many decisions they are making to protect their health in the long term.
“I feel better mentally and physically,” Baker said. “I didn’t realize how much drinking could affect me even beyond just the next morning.”
For others, staying alcohol-free helps them to enjoy social activities more.
“Instead of drinking, I just choose to be sober, and I enjoy being sober,” Thompson said. “When I go to a party, or out with friends, I enjoy the experience more when I don’t drink.”
Today’s Ole Miss students are not sober by and large, though, and college drinking culture is likely far from extinction.
Nearly half of full-time college students still report drinking in a given month, and one in four report binge drinking. However, Gen Z is beginning to complicate the assumption that heavy drinking is simply part of being young or a requirement in college.
However, as sober students can attest to, giving up alcohol can serve as an opportunity to focus on more fulfilling activities.
“I work at the rock wall at the South Campus Rec Center, so I see, very regularly, just a great community of people that come together to hang out and have a good time through rock climbing,” Loprinzi said.
For a generation that has made wellness, productivity and self-care increasingly visible parts of their everyday lives, there’s a chance drinking eventually becomes more stigmatized than choosing to abstain.
