Not drinking and dating

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  • liannexxx
    liannexxx Posts: 201 Member
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    If a guy's idea of a date is to get drunk then he's a pathetic loser not worth your time or energy.

    If you can't think of ways to have fun that don't involve drinking then you need serious help.


    Oh dear there is always one isn't there?
  • liannexxx
    liannexxx Posts: 201 Member
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    *creeps OPer's profile*

    *reconsiders his reply*

    Look, most men are going to think you're weird if you don't drink but you shouldn't have to feel social pressure so here's what I'll do. We'll have to date and I'll turn a blind eye to you not drinking.


    Hahahaha but you will still be thinking its weird I am not drinking =-( =-( haha
  • liannexxx
    liannexxx Posts: 201 Member
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    liannexxx: Right this post my seem a little pathetic. I'm doing a 90 day health challenge and I know that not drinking is going to be the thing I struggle with most.

    Also I hate the idea of going on a date and saying "I'm not drinking" especially living in London where there is such a large pressure.

    Does anyone have any good date ideas? Or any alternatives to just getting drunk???

    Thanks. X x

    My first immersion into the London social scenes and the heavy drinking youth culture was as a 17 year old student at Lucie Clayton, so I do understand the pressures you're highlighting. If you believe that your dates are going to sabotage your 90 days Health Challenge, insist upon choosing the venue. Every reputable establishment has a mocktail menu. Chances are, your dates will not know you're drinking a non-alcoholic beverage if you opt for a mocktail replacement; They'll simply mock you from having deviated from the standard choices, the wines or the beers.

    ^ Option one.

    Your 2nd approach would be to walk up to the bar and order your very own drink, which shouldn't be a problem today, when a good number of the younger British (extended) set prefer to go Dutch. Ask the bartender to mix you a mocktail, serving it in a believable glass. That's a Lucie Clayton tip. Everyone else will be getting sloshed, just NOT you.

    Recommended activities, you may opt for:

    Cordon bleu cooking classes, designed for the health conscious including bargain tips and discount options.
    Hunting and shooting trips
    Take up the challenges; Run a half marathon for example and those military-esque Tough Mudder like challenges.
    The Farmers Markets (Notting Hill or Marylebone); There are private shoppers who provide a service where you may choose an orientation of sorts, customised to your personal lifestyle needs.


    What sorts of men are you dating? Even drinkers need to not drink sometimes. It's easier if it'll just be the 2 of you. It's different if you'll be dating amongst a group, where peer pressure would be likely. Having said that, you are 26. Peer pressure is a non-issue at your stage in life, unless of course you're attempting to conform, subduing you. Living a life of fitness is a life of selfishness; Be 26!

    Thanks I really appreciate this. I am going to look into maybe the tough mudder option and some other things =-) x
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    *creeps OPer's profile*

    *reconsiders his reply*

    Look, most men are going to think you're weird if you don't drink but you shouldn't have to feel social pressure so here's what I'll do. We'll have to date and I'll turn a blind eye to you not drinking.


    Hahahaha but you will still be thinking its weird I am not drinking =-( =-( haha

    I can do that be weird out because a girl that does not partake in a common interest of mine. I will have to try that.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    *creeps OPer's profile*

    *reconsiders his reply*

    Look, most men are going to think you're weird if you don't drink but you shouldn't have to feel social pressure so here's what I'll do. We'll have to date and I'll turn a blind eye to you not drinking.


    Hahahaha but you will still be thinking its weird I am not drinking =-( =-( haha

    I'll be too drunk to notice. :drinker:
  • hairysucker
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    Logging the calories *before* I open/order each drink gets me to not drink so much....

    Alcohol calories add up fast!!
  • 777Gemma888
    777Gemma888 Posts: 9,578 Member
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    Right this post my seem a little pathetic. I'm doing a 90 day health challenge and I know that not drinking is going to be the thing I struggle with most.

    Also I hate the idea of going on a date and saying "I'm not drinking" especially living in London where there is such a large pressure.

    Does anyone have any good date ideas? Or any alternatives to just getting drunk???

    Thanks. X x

    Do you ride? You could always go horse riding through Hyde Park? You would need to not be too early or around 9am to 4pm though, or your date will certainly have competition from the Mounted Household Cavalry. lol 6am is an excellent time for civilians.

    ETA: bold
  • bethanyka
    bethanyka Posts: 159 Member
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    As long as your'e not a bore just because you aren't drinking....giving off the "i really wish I could drink but I can't" vibe, then i think people care less than you think whether you are drinking or not.
    and i agree with, don't hide it or make excuses, " i don't drink' should be enough.
  • boku70
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    Last time I was in serious weight-loss mode (3 years ago, when I dropped 110 lbs.), I had to make a conscious decision that I didn't really care what anyone else thought. Whether it was being embarrassed at how I looked at the gym, to having to adjust my social life--they were dumb, superficial things to care about, and I had to get my priorities in order.

    I'm sort of re-experiencing this now, as I did some serious backsliding in the past year. (My employer feeds us, and we have three makeshift bars just on our floor.) But it's worth it. When I hit my target last time, I had not an ounce of regret that I'd missed out on the socializing, etc.
  • BramageOMG
    BramageOMG Posts: 319 Member
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    Give your date Ruffies.. he wont notice you aren't drinking. That also opens up a lot of fun options: Like leave him on the tube :D
  • ExRelaySprinter
    ExRelaySprinter Posts: 874 Member
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    Guys in London are so tight (Cheap) anyway....so they'll probably be glad you're not drinking Alcohol. Lol
    But on a serious note, maybe suggest Dates where drinking isn't really an option.
    Like outdoorsy/daytime dates.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    I liked Wintersport20s post@12:15.

    Like others I am surprised at your way of thinking.

    1. I always thought you went on a date to get to know the other person. Dont be afraid of being yourself. Its a bit worrying if you can only think of drinking as a possible date. You are choosing not to drink alcohol for a reason and presumably thats to forego the calories. Thats a good reason becayse you want to do the 90 day thing. You dont need to justify that choice to anyone but yourself and particularly to your date. If they dont respect your decision then its unlikely they will respect you about much else.

    2. Sometimes the issue is more with the drinkers because they feel they cnat enjoy their own alcohol or fear the non drinker cant be enjoting themselves with alcohol. This is plain stupid. Tell the person you arent drinking, you could say its for medical reasons or a challeneg etc. If they cnat respect that then dump them.

    You then have 2 options.

    3a) Do as some have suggested and drink non alcoholic low calorie drink. Your date will have to improve his pulling technique by actually talking to you and being good company rather than relying on beer goggles. I know that may be a challenge some of them cant live up to.

    3b) Choose a date or activity that doesnt involve alcohol at all. As suggested, skating, zoo, exhibition, play, film, bowling, a walk, a trip. Loads to choose from and you can do soemthing that interests you or you can use it to measure the imagination of your date by seeing what he comes up with other than the pub. If hes interested enough he will make the effort.

    The result is you might end up doing something you like doing and have fun. You might also end up talking to each other. Use not going to the pub to your advantage and focus your time on dates who will make an effort, can handle not going to the pub or handle you making a choice not to drink alcohol. Win win for you.
  • cdoesthehula
    cdoesthehula Posts: 141 Member
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    Try something else! Dates in bars are boring. And drunks are boring.

    Seriously. Who wants to take something that makes you temporarily a bit more stupid? Especially on a date?

    Just as an experiment, go to a bar on your own without drinking, and watch the people around you. Notice how bad they look. The vacant, gormless expressions on their faces. And if you are feeling brave, the way their breath and sweat start to smell of stale alcohol.

    Go and do something you would have done on your own. Preferrably in the daytime, so you can bail and see your friends if it's rubbish, or carry on if it's good. One of my best dates was getting two travelcards and spending hours going around London on a bus. Seriously. We talked for hours, and I went out with her for ages.
  • azymth99
    azymth99 Posts: 122 Member
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    Refusing to order a drink is no biggie. I am on medication that prevents me from having alcohol and I don't even bring it up. I just don't order a drink. I get lemonade, tea or soda and usually no one even asks. When I was a single man, I liked to go out for coffee for a first date- very little investment, you can actually "talk" to each other, if the other person is not a fit, you can usually figure it out pretty quick and all that you've lost is an hour and some change.

    From the look of you, I don't think a man is going to care one way or the other whether or not you drink- he's most likley going to feel incredibly fortunate that you're talking to him in the first place.

    If not, he's either BLIND or CRAZY.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
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    Come on, seriously. Your not a teenager , it's silly to worry about people pressuring you about drinking. Your an adult so if you don't want to drink then that's your choice. If dates or friends are going to pressure you to drink then it sounds like they are pretty immature and you need to get New friends.
  • TheWorstHorse
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    "I don't drink, thanks." and if your date objects or pressures you, time to end the date, at least if you wish to be around some one that respects you and your boundaries, however you choose to set them.

    Moreover, explaining yourself in such situations isn't, in my experience, helpful. You don't have to justify personal decisions about what you do with your body. If you find yourself in a situation in which you feel like you must, unless doing otherwise would be dangerous, better to exit the situation than demean yourself.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    Does anyone have any good date ideas? Or any alternatives to just getting drunk???

    Jump straight to shagging.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    When you're invited to a bar, decline.

    If someone thinks that it's odd you don't drink or doesn't want to go out with you if you don't drink, then you just saved a lot of time, lol.
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
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    I didn't know drinking was required to date. No wonder I'm going through a dry spell. In any case, I like active dates: go hiking somewhere and have a picnic, scenic bike ride, that kind of thing. Who drinks and then does active stuff?
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    I rarely drink. If I do, I just have one (two if they are small). My husband has never had a drink in his life, so drinking was never part of our dating.

    I go dancing
    Watch a dance performance
    Go hiking or do something outdoors/active/adventurous.
    Roller or ice skating
    Art event
    Live music
    Go look at stars
    Long walks down the beach (lol)
    Enjoy the city
    Food