Hi graciemi,

My dad quit drinking cold turkey shortly before I was born. He was not an alcoholic either but it does run in his family, and he lost a friend in an alcohol-related accident that I think had a really profound effect on him. Anyway, he has not had a drink in over 20 years, and he still gets the occasional ribbing and pressure from people to "just have one." I think that it takes a LOT of strength to abstain from alcohol. While I do drink alcohol, I don't drink it in excess and my dad has given me a lot of tips for when I don't want to drink:

1. Offer to be the designated driver. When your friends are depending on you to stay sober they're not going to pressure you -- in fact, they're going to be grateful!
2. When you're at a restaurant, a discreet way to refuse alcohol with your meal is to turn your wine class upside down. It signals to the waiter that you don't want anything without drawing attention to the fact that you're not drinking. In most places they will simply take the glass away without a word.
3. Why not arrange non-alcoholic get-togethers with your friends? Movie nights, going bowling/shopping/to see a show, going for coffee, going for lunch (some people may still have a drink with their meal but at lunchtime nobody will "question" it if you don't).
4. There are usually a lot of non-alcoholic events on campus that you can check out. There are a lot of society meetings that don't involve alcohol (in my case, the French society meets for regular "coffee and conversation" mornings). I'm not sure what the mood is like on your campus, but here we're very respectful of anyone who doesn't want to drink. Most people are a lot more open to not drinking, especially if they understand it's a personal choice and you're not going to preach to them about it.
5. I know you've heard "just say no" before, but it's really about HOW you say no. Stand your ground. My dad always taught me a "three strikes" rule. The first time he's offered a drink, he politely declines. The second time, he declines again and says he doesn't drink. After the third time, he walks away. Be secure in the fact that you don't want to drink. You don't owe any explanations to anyone else -- you know what's good for you and if they can't respect that, you don't need to be bothered spending time with them.

I hope this helps. From experience there are more people out there who WON'T have a problem with your sobriety than people who will. Being able to have fun without alcohol will eventually open you up to MORE friendships. That's what's happened for me in the past. You'd be surprised at the number of people who are made uncomfortable by alcohol and will be grateful that you don't mind hanging out without it.