Party girls are commonplace at Tulane University. Less common are the sober party girls.
Neva Coleman, self-proclaimed sober party girl and Tulane alum, has gone viral on TikTok and Instagram after sharing her struggle with addiction and her journey getting sober after graduation.
With almost 16,000 TikTok followers and over 21,000 Instagram followers in just a few months, the class of 2023 graduate is creating a platform around her hashtag: #soberpartygirl.
“I would have become an alcoholic and an addict no matter where I went to school, but Tulane fast-tracked it for me,” Coleman said. “I could do everything that I wanted to do, addict wise and alcoholic wise, and it wouldn’t really raise a red flag because every other person was doing the same thing.”
Tulane is ranked the third-highest party school in the country and the No. 1 university in the country for hard liquor consumption.
“It wasn’t until I graduated that I realized this isn’t normal,” Coleman said.
Over 80% of students at Tulane drink alcohol, according to a 2023 survey, and over 60% reported having five or more alcoholic drinks in one sitting in the preceding two weeks.
“I’ve been able to reflect on my experience at Tulane more as an [alumna],” Coleman said. “I didn’t realize how insane it was and how bad the party culture is there, but it’s extreme; it was well beyond the experiences of my friends at other universities.”
The 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that less than 50% of full-time U.S. college students reported drinking alcohol in the past month, a number much lower than the Tulane average.
“[Tulane] really is a work-hard, play-hard culture. I always remember just getting through work and getting through class so I would be able to drink and smoke,” Coleman said.
Now, almost three years out of college and sober, Coleman is documenting her sober journey and making content about her experiences at Tulane and dealing with alcohol use disorder.
“I felt secure in my sobriety, and I had been helping people who had found out that I was sober through the grapevine,” Coleman said. “I had this wealth of knowledge that could help people. I was like, I think I’m gonna make a video about this and see what happens.”
Coleman is part of the “Sober Party Girl Revolution” and was featured in a front-page New York Times article about a Manhattan club with a luxurious, high-end party aesthetic without alcohol.
Whether it’s filming outfits of her going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, sharing excuses she would tell herself when she was an alcoholic or providing resources on how to seek help, Coleman is curating a world of content to reduce the stigma around seeking help for alcohol use disorder.
“I wish I knew that people like me existed,” Coleman said. “I thought all alcoholics looked the same, that they were someone’s dad who’s miserable and a chronic relapser and brown bag alcoholic. I didn’t think that someone like me could have a legitimate substance abuse disorder.”
“It’s really important to normalize that and reduce the stigma, and encourage kids to get help earlier,” Coleman said.
Coleman is working with the Tulane Recovery Community to ensure students are connected with resources to seek help for substance abuse.
“The biggest hurdle for a lot of people is just not knowing where to go, and not knowing what to do,” Coleman said. “What I really want to do is help current students recognize alcoholism and addiction in themselves and be directed to the right resources.”
Frost • May 17, 2026 at 12:15 am
Thank you for taking time to write this article and providing an “off ramp” for others who may be having similar experiences.