The Psychology club brought attention to Alcohol Awareness Month by hosting Mocktails and Canvases from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Doudna Hall on April 21. The Psychology club served mocktails to students to educate students on how to avoid the social pressures of drinking alcohol.

The Psychology club set out paintbrushes, palettes, small canvases and a variety of paints to choose from. Participants ordered nonalcoholic drinks from the Mocktail bar at the front of the classroom. A Bob Ross painting tutorial played as students painted and sipped on beverages that looked colorful, fun and cleverly disguised as alcoholic mixers. The Psychology club was “inspired by paint and sip events like when people do wine and paint,” said Psychology club president Amiya Peterson.

Being an RA, Peterson’s reason for coordinating Mocktails and Canvases was to “give students on the campus an option for safer drinking habits.” Consuming alcohol is not a requirement to hang out with friends who are drinking.

Psychology club vice president Kimberly Cummings added that painting is “also another fun thing to do with friends besides partying,” which often leads to alcohol consumption.

Psychology club secretary Ian Kendrick said, “If you don’t want to stand out for not drinking, not participating in something – if you feel peer-pressured too, (nonalcoholic options are) just kind of a way of stepping back from it, (and) having a little bit of a defense.”

According to BMC Public Health, peer pressure or imposing the expectation to consume alcohol onto others may lead to excessive alcohol consumption or isolation. Peterson said that ordering mocktails at a bar is “a social avoidance strategy.” Peterson suggested that “if you’re trying to stay sober, you can order these (nonalcoholic drinks or mocktails) at bars” to avoid being called out for not drinking alcohol.