I DONT drink Alcohol!

I drink. I don't question others who don't.

On the flip side, my on alcohol drinking sister will make snippy snide comments when she grocery shopped with me, "Oh look, the alcoholic is buying wine." keeping in mind she doesn't live with me nor does she know my consumption amounts.

Moral of the story, if your friends question why you DO NOT drink they aren't your friends. If your family rags on you because you do drink, they should be kicked in the shins.

This!

I personally do not drink alcohol. Simple.

People question me when I go out with friends as to why I am not drinking. "Are you pregnant" "Is it because of religion" "Are you sick" "There must be something wrong with you". NO NO NO & NO.

I am not religious. I am not pregnant. I am not sick and as far as I know there is nothing wrong with me! It has been my personal choice not to drink alcohol simply because I haven't found any drinks that I actually like the taste of!

Are there any other non-alcoholic MFP'ers out there that know how to deal with this social situation? I am just sick to death of people trying to pressure me into drinking because they think it's 'cool' or the fun thing to do. I am 21 and our legal age is 18 here in Aus, and obviously I can make my own choices (because I choose not to drink!)

Basically what I'm asking is, what would be your comeback? I am so tired of explaining myself to everyone I see when we are out. I am quite capable of having a good time without alcohol.

End rant! LOL

The older one gets, the less one cares about what others think, but rather care more about how we think about others. I don't give a sh** about what others think of my food plan...I wouldn't spend much time or energy on it...you are you and "a gentle answer turns away wrath" (very old proverb). I do have one now and then...but only for recreation and relaxation. For the most part...my blender drinks are full of raw veggies, some fruit, and my vegetarian protein supplement...What would Jimmie Buffet think???

Trek on...and great post!

I personally do not drink alcohol. Simple.

People question me when I go out with friends as to why I am not drinking. "Are you pregnant" "Is it because of religion" "Are you sick" "There must be something wrong with you". NO NO NO & NO.

I am not religious. I am not pregnant. I am not sick and as far as I know there is nothing wrong with me! It has been my personal choice not to drink alcohol simply because I haven't found any drinks that I actually like the taste of!

Are there any other non-alcoholic MFP'ers out there that know how to deal with this social situation? I am just sick to death of people trying to pressure me into drinking because they think it's 'cool' or the fun thing to do. I am 21 and our legal age is 18 here in Aus, and obviously I can make my own choices (because I choose not to drink!)

Basically what I'm asking is, what would be your comeback? I am so tired of explaining myself to everyone I see when we are out. I am quite capable of having a good time without alcohol.

End rant! LOL

Wow. I could have totally written that!

I'm from Australia too. The drinking culture in this country is weird. If you don't drink, there's something wrong with you. I hate that mindset. When I turned 18, I tried the going-out-and-drinking thing, and it just wasn't for me. Some people seem to enjoy it, but I really think a lot are just kidding themselves and doing it because they feel obligated to (because if you don't, you get subjected to the weird looks and Spanish inquisition!). I could tell you my theory on why people in Australia drink so much, but it's long winded and probably boring!

My comeback is usually that I don't need chemical enhancers to be a fun and interesting person - I'm awesome naturally! If you turn it back on them and make them feel like the deficient ones, they usually leave you alone!

Anyway, stay with it. Don't do anything you don't want to do. I'm 30 now, and I've never let anyone pressure me into drinking. And don't be fooled by people telling you that you'll appreciate wine once you're older - still tastes like cat pee to me!

This is so true! I'm Australian as well- I agree our drinking culture is weird! I've had people offer me wine and then get offended when I say no or make some comment about how they are better than me because they like it lol

I'm Australian too, 22, and for the most part, I'm not someone that drinks either. I've just had two and a half years completely sober (due to my health, but stopping was beyond easy for me). Before that, I'd only drink if it 'felt' right for my body, and most alcohol tastes rotten-I only had a few I was comfortable with/actually enjoyed. My friends are generally okay with me not drinking-yours should be too(!), but the overall mentality over here does seem to be that something must be wrong, or you're a straight edge fanatic of some sort. I tend to fall into the habit of not really mentioning it if it isn't relevant, I'll order something like a lemon, lime and bitters and people just silently assume there's vodka in it. After so long not tasting anything, I find it really strong and awful. When I'm not intentionally avoiding it, I find things like malilbu/coke or vodka/pineapple or something like sangria aren't too bad; it all depends on tastes though. But really, whatever the reason, don't let people bother you; you're saving yourself a fortune, your liver, and you'll come out of it knowing how to have a good time without needing to be inebriated. I have friends who already rely on a cold drink after a bad day, and I always wonder if that'll be a bad coping mechanism when we're older.

I have seen people I know get very sick because of long years of alcoholism and I wouldn't want to go down that path.

That's all you need to say, I guess. People say similar about not wanting to smoke.

I say "I do drink...iced tea!" That usually shuts them up. Then if they keep at me I say, " I choose not to drink because most people who drink, drink too much and then end up acting like park apes." Then, I give them the "People's Eyebrow" and make them feel like I'm talking about them! It works every time!

Bumping - because I don't drink and I get sick of the comments too!

Bourbon for me.

Club soda with a twist of lime if driving.

Alcohol just tastes so.....bad.
It's honestly disgusting...to me that is.
People try to pressure me to drink and want to see me "get drunk one good time."
No I don't want to drink your alcohol.
I will only use it to cook with, end of story.

Also I don't like the way people act during and after consuming it.
And I guess that's why I don't have too many friends.
I can't stand to be around it.

Are there any other non-alcoholic MFP'ers out there that know how to deal with this social situation?

I don't drink.

But I'm probably not going to be much help. I don't get pressured by anyone to drink. If I'm offered, I just say "No thank you". If they say "Why not?" I say "I don't drink. Thanks for offering". And the conversation stops there.

I don't think you owe anyone any explanation for your choice to not drink.

I am religious and I do drink sometimes lol (I believe as long as I am not getting wasted and making horrible choices small doses are ok!)

But neither my husband or I are comfortable drinking outside of our home even if it's just a drink. We both just say no thanks! And if they ask anything like that I take it as it comes. No, not pregnant, not my religion.

If they keep bothering us I just say I don't like the taste.

Thanks Amber.


It's also a health choice - I have seen people I know get very sick because of long years of alcoholism and I wouldn't want to go down that path.

Sooooo.... tell them it's a health choice. If they can't accept that, turn it around and start asking them questions about something they don't want to talk about.

Add this to the list of inappropriate and nosey questions people ask. How do they know you are not in recovery or have a family history of alcohol abuse etc? You are under no obligation to explain, but could say "it just makes me tired and i want to enjoy your company"

I'm in my forties. I met my husband when I was 19. Neither of us were big drinkers in college and decided to simply not be drinkers because we wanted a healthy lifestyle. We also noticed that we felt like crap after drinking when we did experiment around the age of 21. Anyhow, long story short--fast forward twenty years--nearly everyone who meets us comments on how young we look. We are certain that a healthy diet and exercise coupled with no drinking is responsible for our preservation. Today I was looking at someone's facebook page and I noticed the quote, "everything you eat or drink either contributes to disease or fights it." I am sure your liver appreciates your decision to spare it a slow, painful death!

You are obviously young, bright, and confident. People attack other people's good choices often because they feel guilty about their own choices. Your fortitude simply is a challenge to them--stay tough and keep it simple--"I only get one body."

Last point--when you drink, your resources are down. Good choice to keep your mind in tact--especially in bars and in social settings. What to drink? My favorite bubbly is actually sparkling mineral water--it has a nice bite that cuts and makes your mouth feel fresh. At fine restaurants, I love asking which type of bubbly water they have--san pelligrino--saratoga--perrier--I actually can appreciate the differences, but I like them all. No sugar, nothing artificial, no alcohol and yet it's something elegant to sip or drink. There is something to having a social drink--holding a drink in your hand while interacting allows us to break up microexpressions in the course of awkward dialogue. It's not about fitting in--it's about having a social tool to address those odd social moments--do it with a lovely glass of bubbly water! Enjoy and Happy New Year!

who are these people you're hanging out with? It seems that if they were your friends, they would know you don't drink and it wouldn't be a big deal. I know people who don't drink and it's not an issue...I've never gone up to them all..."c'mon...have a drink with me." I know they don't drink and they are my friends...why would I pressure and harass my friends to do something they don't like? It seems that we wouldn't be friends for long if I did. I guess I just don't understand why this would be such an issue.

^^ This! I've never been pressured either way. Maybe it's just your age, and will get better when people start to have better things to do than worry about what you are or are not doing. Maybe get a sparkling water or something else early in the night and carry it around, sipping from it, so no one notices you don't have a drink.

It's not an age thing. I wish you guys would stop saying that. I'm 47. All my friends are the same age and drink like fish.

The reason I have issues is because I used to drink and now I don't. That's why. I don't know why that's so hard to understand. Couple that with close-mindedness, and awkwardness with not knowing what else to do, because all they do is drink. If you're not drinking, it's really friggin boring, and you have the perfect storm of why they hound you, make fun of you, tell you that you need to have moderation in your life, that I workout too much, and now not drinking, and it's getting a little ridiculous. You know, they bascially, are not good friends. So, I'm searching for new ones. Unfortunately, in my search, everyone drinks a lot. Everything revolves around it. It sucks.

You don't necessarily need to find friends that don't drink but ones that respect that you don't and respect your lifestyle.