07 Feb 2020

It's a day we’ve been looking forward to our entire adolescence, a day that wraps up our childhood in an exciting and formative bow. We reach a point where we can buy our own alcohol, get into the club without a fakie, and begin to try and live a life truly on our own terms. However, turning 18 can prove to be a bit confusing, and you could find your first month of adulthood beginning on shaky terms.

Things change, but not that much

I remember looking forward to being 18 for my entire pre-18 life. It was a time that always seemed forever away, but one that I knew would have some sort of special effect on me when it did eventually arrive.

Truth is, whilst my 18th was a fun and special day, the only major change it had on me was my ability to buy some double blacks myself. I hate to be cheesy, but change really does come within, not because you get an “18 and legal” sash.

Clubbing gets old, quickly

I remember my 18th: skulling a beer in front of my closest family and friends before heading to the grimey and trashy local club I lived near. Looking back, the only reason I enjoyed myself was the novelty of going clubbing legally for the first time, with the people I loved the most.

But after all the glitter and confetti has been swept up, the thrill of clubbing - at the same clubs, with the same people, with the same music - diminishes quickly. For a while, I thought a large portion of my joy would be found through the things I could do as an adult, but that, unfortunately, wasn’t the case.

Your relationship with your parents begins to change

All parents are different, and there’s no way to paint them all with the same brush. But, whether it’s on a small or a gargantuan scale, turning 18 is definitely going to affect the way they treat you.

The most common change is how they emphasise your adulthood. They might start making you pay board or get you to start pulling your weight in other ways. Whilst this might seem inconvenient, the responsibility you’re about to receive might also follow with an extra level of freedom. 

Another route the ol’ rents might take is through emphasising how they think nothing has really changed. You still live under their house, so you still have to follow their rules. If you can reach a happy medium between the two, you and your parents will have a swell time as you dive into adulthood.

 

The first month after turning 18 is undeniably hectic. Your life might turn upside down, or the disappointment of it not doing just that might feel a little anticlimactic. It will probs be disorientating in some way or another, but riding the wave of fresh adulthood is important! So, take it all in, and enjoy your trashy local club while you can!