I went to university after my gap year of travelling, during which I travelled extensively through many parts of India and Nepal. Seeing how life was in a society in which alcohol was rarely available or thought about impacted me greatly. When I returned to go to university - the land of getting drunk on discounted beer - I just wasn't interested in an existence that depended on drinking. I found it empowering to abstain and drink juice in the student bars. I was considered odd, but I didn't care.