to everyone who has family & friends who like to drink

JMCade

Take the drink and carry it around and don't drink it :drinker:

My husband's friends really like to drink, and he does this. In fact, he'll carry the same beer bottle in a coozie for hours, and be drinking, but he's been refilling the bottle with water. He looks like he's drinking but he's just drinking water.

LMAO love this idea!!

oravavaara

I like a lot of the ideas posted here

As someone who does enjoy drinking, I can try to give you a different perspective. When people ask you to drink, they're only doing it because they want you to be enjoying an activity with them. A lot of the responses non-drinkers come up with sound either lame or like they might be judging you. In the first case, you can tell they're lying, and it can reflect poorly on your character.

The second kind of response is worse. "Oh, I don't drink because I'm trying to be healthy." While true and often well-intended, the result is that you're basically calling the drinker unhealthy. Maybe they are, but in any event they aren't going to like you if you feel like they're judging you.

If you don't want to do the fake drinking thing, which I've definitely done before at parties after I knew I'd had enough, just say no. It's really that simple. No thanks, I'm fine, or the all time best is "Oh, no, not today." I like the last one, because it's not turning them down forever, nor is it putting yourself up on a pedestal for not drinking. No one feels like drinking all of the time, so everyone can relate to that. If you want to avoid further questioning, compliment their hair or ask them about their kids.

"Do you want a drink?" "Oh no, not right now. Say, that's a lovely shirt you're wearing!" "Oh, thanks! It was a gift from my mom." And the conversation is magically no longer about you being the odd one out. Later, you can put a lime in your soda water and pretend to be one of the club, if you'd like.