What Age Do Dudes Stop Playing Beer Pong?

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As I layed in my bed last night staring at my ceiling, wired on Adderall, I had a realization—my twenties are slipping away. I’m 25 years old, just five months shy of 26, yet I still feel like a kid. When my dad was my age, he already had my half-brother. Meanwhile, I’m out here hitting up dive bars with my boys, chasing ass like it’s my job.

Maybe it’s a generational thing. Maybe we’re just built differently. I don’t know. But what I do know is that your mid-twenties are a strange time. Some of your friends are settling down, getting married, having kids. Others—like me—are still running around like we’re in college, clinging to the reckless freedom of youth. And yet, no matter where you land on that spectrum, it somehow feels like you’re exactly where you need to be. But how long does that feeling last?

At what point do you start to feel like you’re racing against the clock? When does the “I don’t give a fuck I’m in my twenties” start to clear, revealing the looming weight of adulthood? And seriously, at what age do guys finally retire from beer pong? Because it’s not just the game I’ll miss—it’s the simplicity of it. A bunch of friends huddled around a table, music blasting, talking shit, with nothing else on our minds. That’s the feeling I don’t want to lose. That’s what scares me the most.

A part of me isn’t ready to let go. Taking that next step in life is terrifying, and honestly, I wish I could be 25 forever. But we all know that day is coming—the day when youth slips through our fingers, whether we’re ready or not. I just hope that when my time comes, it’s after I sink the last beer pong shot of my life.