10 ways to have fun as a Teetotaller in UL

Angie Weisgal is an MA Journalism student at the University of Limerick, from the US.

A lot of activities on campus are based around drinking.

A teetotaller can feel left out.

Whether you don’t drink because it’s your choice, it’s your New Year’s Resolution, it’s against your religion, or because of health reasons, there are ways to have fun in Ireland without drinking. You’re not boring because you don’t drink. You can have fun and not drink.

1. Go for some tea or hot chocolate.

In Limerick, there’s the Stormy Teacup, a very nice tea shop where you can sit back, relax, and play a board game or read a book. From time to time there are movie nights there.

Alternatively, you can buy some tea and have your own movie or board game night at home.

On campus, there’s the Tea Appreciation Society. They host events often on campus.

The UL Tea Appreciation Society, the International Society, the First Seven Weeks and many other organisations in UL, often organise non-alcoholic events on campus and off.

"No UL student would go to a non alcoholic event on a Thursday night to
listen to singer-songwriters and poets" - Some lad, drinking a can in college
court (probably). Thank you for this beautiful event UL International Society,
thanks for the music Emma Langford Music, to UL FM for the sound and broadcast
and thanks for the tea UL Tea Appreciation Society.

2. Cook!

Don’t feel like a night out? Cooking is a great hobby and something that students tend not to spend a lot of time on. Find a recipe on Pinterest or Facebook that interests you and cook! Invite some friends and have a dinner party.

View this post on Instagram

Salma's Palestinian dish just flipped! It's called Upside-down! #internationalnightiseverynight @Celina_Jaffe

A post shared by ULGlobal (@ulglobal) on Oct 5, 2016 at 1:51pm PDT

3. Go to a show in the Lime Tree Theatre

The Lime Tree Theatre is a state-of-the-art 510 seat theatre, which hosts a wide range of performances, including theatre, music, comedy and traditional arts.

Check out their events listings!

4. Go to a poetry reading in the city

Poets Corner the White House Literary Limerick, oil on linen

The Limerick Poets’ Society hosts an Open Mic Poetry Night every Wednesday at Brendan O’Brien’s Bar. All poets are welcomed to read their poems in a relaxed, friendly and supporting atmosphere.

6. Take a class in something like yoga or drumming

Here at UL we have yoga classes and tribal drumming classes offered, in addition to clubs and societies that regularly have activities.

Activity centred events are great for making new friends and keeping busy and maybe even learning something new.

7. Read a book from the Popular Reading section of the UL Library.

The selection of books in that section is growing. We often don’t spend much time reading books for fun, so it’s refreshing to read a good book that has nothing to do with your classes.