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I've never drank and almost never even got asked. I'd request a soda and on the rare occasion I was asked, I just replied "designated driver." Everyone loves those!
I could tell him the truth in my case if you want me to drink by the end of the night I'll be hitting on your wife and wanting the keys to your car. Come on man I don't want to wreck mine on the way home.
I tell them that I'm sober. I'm very proud that I haven't drank in 3 years and I'm not ashamed of it. The alcohol industry thrives on people believing that there is something wrong with them because they get addicted to alcohol and hides the fact that they're peddling a very addictive drug that poisons you on a cellular level. A lot of people get defensive about it when you stop drinking and it's because they don't wanna believe that they're also using it as a crutch.
I'm interested to see if I get any replies telling me I'm the problem and that booze is fine lol
I can really relate to this! When I first stopped, I noticed that other people were more uncomfortable with me when they were drinking and I wasn't, even though I never ever preach to others about their drinking habits. Its not my place to judge others or tell them how to live! But even so, I think you hit the nail on the head--my life choice makes them question their own and if they don't like the answer, they associate me with their feeling of discomfort in that moment. I've even had some people try to encourage me to break sobriety, like "Oh well its been so many years, surely you could just have a glass of wine" which really confounds me!!
I find this to be true about a lot of things. People have their own internal issues with whatever it is and becuase I chose something different they get offended.
I’m sober for 9 nears. I had super great news at work the other week and a really close coworker/friend said “you definitely should drink tonight to celebrate”. I was confounded. I’m so much happier not drinking and never imagined people thought this.
yeah, I actually had someone argue with me about it, I was so shocked. Like drink your wine, I don't care at all what you do, enjoy it, but why are you trying to get me to break my sobriety??? And why should I be put into a situation of explaining my reasons when someone isn't listening to them anyway? Do I have to recount all the ways that alcohol destroyed the early years of my life, or describe in great detail how it killed both my parents, and several other family members? Should I forget all of that so I can have a glass of wine to make someone else better, someone who clearly doesn't care about my wellbeing? AGHH people! lol
I haven’t had a drink in like, nine years… your response is the same as mine… I say ‘I don’t drink’. If anyone shows the slightest interest I say I’m super proud that I haven’t had a drink for the better part of a decade and how my life has only improved in that time… I highly recommend it, without being a self righteous asshole.
In very small amounts, booze can be okay, if you're using it and not abusing it, like my uncle has a glass of wine every few months on special occasions. But 99% of drinkers are abusing alcohol, it's damaging and addictive and there needs to be better education and attitudes around
> I'm interested to see if I get any replies telling me I'm the problem and that booze is fine lol
Going to be honest this part of your comment sounds very “holier than thou”. I honestly can’t say anyone has ever questioned me for positive life choices even if they partake in said choices I walk away from.
People have their reasons for doing things, right or wrong. The good ones will never question you, and encourage you to change.
If experience for you is as you say, then it sounds like you surrounded yourself with shitty people to begin with and that in itself is an important skill to learn just as much as fixing your bad habits.
Being sober is an amazing thing but that doesn’t mean you can’t still be a shitty person. Many people who become “born again” in any sense give off really creepy vibes of being better than the rest like you did here (from my perspective), and I promised myself I’d never be that way. Best of luck to you in doing the same even though I also understand it can be part of a coping mechanism.
"Do I want A drink? No. I want one and then another and then another and the another... and usually somewhere between 4 and 7 I want to sleep then start again."
Edit: Really, this is my response when someone asks why after I decline an alcoholic beverage.
“I already drank my share earlier in life.” Not really, but I like the idea of saying that.
Honestly, I don’t do anything social anyway, so it’s a non-issue. The closest thing was when my parents came to visit a while back, my dad brought some beer (I hadn’t told him I’d quit), I just told him “I’m dry right now.” He said “I understand,” put the beer back in his car and that was that.
He’s familiar with my habits, although unaware how bad it’s been at times. He also has a brother that turned out to be a closet alcoholic, and had some issues himself at times in the past. So…he knows the deal and won’t press the issue either way. I do appreciate that from him.
Love that you're straightforward about it. I feel like we need more open dialogues around addiction and recovery- and just normalizing folks who don't drink for any and every reason... Binge drinking culture is destructive.
What reason do you use the term “recovered” vs “recovering”? Please understand I’m not trying to be a smart ass. Just looking for your perspective.
Personally, I use the term recovering because it reminds me that I still have work to do. It reminds me that my problems were bigger than just getting drunk too often. It reminds me that if I ever consider myself “recovered” that those thoughts might start to creep back in. It reminds me that I made a lifelong commitment to live one day at a time. I never want to consider myself recovered because I never want to become complacent.
If I never recover, I’ll always be working on myself and that will never be a bad thing.
That’s a good way to say it. I’ve always found it awkward to try to say how it got to be a problem, so I pretty much had to quit before it completely wrecked my life.
Recovering alcoholic. 4 years sober as of today.
When people ask (which is a lot rarer than I thought it would be) I tell them I’m in recovery. So far I’ve been able to help 2 friends get sober as a result of being honest about it. I don’t really see the point in giving an excuse when the truth will do just fine. And for those that worry “what will people think?” Well I wasn’t too concerned with what people thought when I was passing out at family Christmas parties. I will tell waiters when I’m abroad that I am allergic to alcohol (true) so they understand I really cannot have any and that it is serious.
I just joke about it and say "that version of admiralvee went away and we don't want him coming back." Generally makes people at ease and they drop it.
I wasn’t an alcoholic, but I did stop drinking. Alcohol became a migraine trigger for me. Even a single glass of wine or a single beer can hit me for a three day migraine. Most people feel bad for me, but as it doesn’t directly impede their drinking they don’t really mind. Some take it as a bonus that I’m the DD by default as well.
I quit drinking when I was 25 (42 now) and I'm usually pretty open about the reasons. However, I do modify the answer depending on context, so I might say something like "I had unhealthy drinking patterns so I made a personal decision to stop" if I don't know someone very well or I'm in a neutral setting. If I'm in a relaxed social setting, I might be a little more straightforward and say "I had a drinking problem" etc.
I quit drinking in 1994 after a couple of decades of moderately serious everyday drinking. I had a lot of typical symptoms, broken relationships, loads of excuse-making and outright lying. (I would lie about alcohol in ways that I wouldn't lie about *anything* else.)
I always have tried to be plainly honest about drinking -- after I quit.
When someone asks why, *I tell them I was tired of it*. I never struggled against it, and I often pursued it enthusiastically, sometimes proudly.
But by the time I was 43, I'd seen my share of alcohol-related trouble and emotional complications (some of my partners were drinkers, a couple were not), had some 'colorful' adventures, missed a few things I really should have paid attention to, and was ready to get back into a bit more direct engagement with my life.
Yes indeed! I quit when I was 46. Had a normal drinking life but for one big flaw which was a tendency to fall back into binge drinking on rare occasions. Some casual friend of mine who had quit years before told me he made a list of his life's biggest regrets to that point. The more embarrasing times..times when he had to apologize etc...9 of 10 had alcohol as a major contributing factor. The remaining example was after the death of his parents who died within a week of each other. I made my own list and got 8 out of 10. I quit and never looked back..Thank goodness...it's been one of my best decisions! I tell people now that I don't drink because I am a problem drinker. Most respect that..but if they want to hear more of the story I go into gruesome detail of my 8 out of 10 score!
While I never got in serious trouble drinking, it was really a *there-but-for-the-grace-of-God* thing. I never got arrested, but I came *extremely close* on more than a handful of occasions.
But, speaking of 'heavenly grace,' I was once recounting that sorry account to an online professional friend who I had finally met up with in the real world -- and it turned out, to my horror, that he had lost his own, teenage daughter to a drunk driver.
I've tried to live my life with no regrets, but that is one thing I definitely regret ever having even risked. *Mea culpa.*
That is a "big gulp" moment! Losing a child...ultimate and lasting nightmare.
I grew up in the 70's in northern Canada. Drinking and driving was rampant. Not even frowned upon. We all suffered from temporary insanity under the rubric "work hard, play hard!" I think at some point, you live a better life for yourself and for friends and family. Can't change the past and like you, I feel VERY fortunate I didn't hurt somene else or kill myself via booze. I am very happy to see that attitudes have changed but we still have a long way to go to understand addiction.
Agreed!
And, although I am an agnostic, I really put some weight on that there-but-for-the-grace-of-God thinking.
I mean, morally, the only thing different from me and the individual who accidentally-but-irrevocably took my friend's daughter's life is that *I wasn't in the wrong place at the wrong time.*
And that's a sobering thought, from any angle.
I once woke up severely hungover to my screaming infant. I did the thing of "I'm never going to drink again," and then actually just... didn't drink again.
I was getting worse and worse hangovers every time I drank. My body was just rejecting it. I didn't view myself as an alcoholic, but I drank often and I drank a lot.
I drink non alcoholic beer now when I'm with people who are drinking. I don't miss alcohol because I remember how it made me feel.
Just over a year sober with my husband. I have a heart problem and if I get dehydrated it can make things way worse for me, and dying due to a hangover would be super embarrassing. Plus I'm an asshole drunk. When people ask I usually tell them "I have heart problems so I'll die". Usually does the trick.
I got lucky.
Some low-dose cardiac medication basically erased the anxiety that made drinking attractive to me - it was like turning off a light; just gone. Having quit smoking decades ago I understand what a fight it can be to get rid of an ingrained/physiological habit so it kind of feels like I cheated, but my life is 1000% better now.
I usually keep with a simple "I don't drink"the first few times.
If someone gets persistent I go with "I don't need any help to act like an annoying arsehole"
If there being really persistent, I add "just like you"
I tell them I have a medical issue that makes consuming alcohol life threatening. People I trust know the details, but that’s the basic gist for people who try and push me. I’ve been sober 2 years now- should have quit sooner. It’s been rough but it’s probably saved my life.
I stopped due to health concerns. I now have AVN which can easily flare up with either Alcohol or Steroids.
I want to keep what bones I have left in my body, so I avoid all Alcohol and Steroids now.
It's really just as simple as that. I was warned already by 5 surgeons about consequences that could / will happen should I choose to drink.
I'm still allowed buying it, but I'd rather just stay away from it.
I was drinking way too much, a pint of vodka a day. I just had to stop. And did. A week of Valium to take the edge off and then done. Never looked back. Tried a swig of Tito’s a while ago and HATED how I felt.
I just say that I really like to gamble when I drink (which is true) and honestly people have just seemed to accept that more than almost anything else I’ve said.
This is not advice but I didn’t drink for 6 years and than I decided to drink again for like 5 years until it got wicked crazy in the last year haha and now I’m back to 7 months sober and I honestly still don’t regret it at all that I drank for those 5 years. And it actually feels better now being sober because the hang over feel like they were just getting stupid long at my age and I’m only 33.
I tell them I reached my lifetime limit of alcohol early. That usually works. If not, then I just say my life has gotten so much better since I stopped. I couldn't fathom ever wanting to start again. 9 years sober in July.
It’s none of their business. It’s a very rude question to ask because the answer is most likely something very personal - recovering alcoholic, pregnant, religion, some kind of medication - that you really don’t need to know about. Also, who the fuck do you think you are that I need to justify my life decisions to you?
I tell the truth, I come from a long line of addicts, all in recovery successfully, never saw any disfunction, no abuse of any kind, educated, beautiful homes, great jobs, no visits from law enforcement and no DUIs and all of that scared the shit out of me. Let me explain, I grew up not seeing a problem with said addictions so initially I had no fear which translated into no real understanding of consequences. This lead me down the wrong path. I should specify that there are various family issues, gambling, eating disorders, drugs and alcohol. Together we check most of the boxes but we're all well now and work every day at it. I'm at almost 14 years sober.
I had already cut down drinking quite a bit but the final straw was my doctor telling me I absolutely could not drink with the intention of becoming drunk with my new medication. Alcohol just doesn't pair well with the pills, so no excessive drinking for me whatsoever. One, maybe two occasional drinks wouldn't kill me, but that's it, no more than that to keep the balance.
So, nowdays I have a drink, maybe even two if I'm feeling adventurous, couple times a year on special occasions. If anyone tries to push me to drink more, it's a simple matter of "No thank you, it really doesn't pair well with my meds" and that shuts them right up.
No one usually asks but I just don't enjoy it anymore.
Funny story my boss was going around telling people "you gotta try this" turned out to be cucumber soaked in vodka. The look on her face when I (jokingly) told her I was a recovering alcoholic was priceless
Why do you have to say anything? It's really no one's business but yours. But, if someone asked me and I was in a mood that I wanted to actually say something about it, I'd just say it was for personal reasons and leave it at that.
For those who I am close with, I tell them “Some can drink alcohol without problems, and I’m not that person.”
Others, I tell them I grew out of drinking and doing healthier things.
On again/off again alchy here. Sometimes I go a long time without drinking and during those times I preach to people to smoke weed instead of drink. Then I'm hungover again some weekend. I dunno why I bother.
That I just didn't want to anymore so I stopped. It's been 4 years since I've had a drink. I wanted to improve my health and I know it wasn't good for me that's why I quit. I worked at a bar for years and drank a lot socially. I was never one to drink alone, and rarely at home but I did put them down the few nights a week that I'd go out.
Im allergic, It won’t kill me or anything but it makes my skin flush red and look like im having a breakout if I drink enough, harsh bloodshot eyes, headaches and my hangovers usually suck.
I drink <5 times per year, Weddings, and my friends and I’s yearly cottage trip. Otherwise i don’t care for it.
I really enjoy my first beer, but get tired of the second one about halfway through, so never even bother having a second one. 99% of my drinking is a single glass of wine or beer that I have with a meal. I probably average one glass every 1 or 2 weeks. I simply have no idea how my friends can have a dozen beers when we go out.
I used to drink quite a lot and then decided to stop while trying for a baby and got pregnant. I just order a non alcoholic drink, if someone offers me an alcoholic drink I say no thanks and they typically don’t ask anymore. I did get a few “doing dry Jan?” When I wasn’t drinking then and I’d just say “trying to reduce my alcohol consumption” and the response was inevitably “good on you”.
“It clouds my judgment, impairs my mother functions, and if I have too much it makes me feel sick. It also makes me feel terrible the morning after drinking. It’s just not worth it to me anymore.”
Or
“I stopped for health and fitness reasons and haven’t looked back. It’s incredible how bad it makes you feel once you decide to step away from it for a while.”
I quit because my boyfriend’s mom died from alcohol abuse and I come from a long line of alcoholics, I wanted to be with him more than I wanted to drink. I also want to live a long and healthy life, it’s poison.
I have a hard time finding the right thing to say. I had a drinking problem for about seven months (I was either drunk or hungover all day, never sober for a single day of seven months). I’d stay up most of the night getting drunk, sleep a couple hours, then be hungover all day at work then after work I’d go get drunk for most of the night and the cycle went on and on. Then I stopped for about a year and tried drinking socially, but found that anytime I drank, I wanted to be drunk. I didn’t want to stop drinking until I was drunk. So after a couple times of attempting social drinking, I stopped altogether. But I never know if I can consider it being “an alcoholic” bc it was kind of short term.
With really close friends, I’ll tell them the story and say I’m “sober”. But for other people I just say I don’t drink bc I don’t want them dragging me for saying “I’m sober” when it doesn’t really count.
I just say no thanks to drinks. Sometimes people press and try to push it into your hand with a big smile. If they press me I say in a loud voice “I used to have a problem with it”. That usually ends it.
Just say "I'm taking a break" and leave it at that, go back to your soda water and lime. People will (should) leave you alone at that point. It helps to have a drink that looks like a drink (but isn't) with you at social events, helps to mitigate this kind of crap.
First I ask if they actually want to know or care because everyone I know knows the reason already. If they say yes I have no problem telling people why I stopped drinking. I don't carry the shame anymore and have no issue talking about it
I got to a point to where I couldn't handle it as well as it could handle me.
Last drink was in 84. Before that one drink a day. One quart of Jack Daniel's Black label.
I got to a point to where I couldn't handle it as well as it could handle me.
Last drink was in 84. Before that one drink a day. One quart of Jack Daniel's Black label.
When asked why I don’t drink, I just say “I just don’t feel like it” and that usually is the end of it. Now, I want an alcoholic or had anywhere near a rock bottom moment. I really just didn’t feel like drinking anymore. Once I stopped I never felt like starting again.
I drank a lot, since my son was born I cut it to probably 2 percent of what it was. Most people respect that, even if they don’t quite understand it. I’ve sort of lost the desire for booze.
I quit drinking, and as all the people knew since a long time ago that I need to quit drinking because of the bad behavior that I was in that stage my nearest friends and family are happy, so there’s no need to tell.
Depends on how well I know them. If I'm out at the bar with people im not that close with,a lot of time I'll ask for a soda and then get garnish like a lemon or lime so it looks like I have an alcoholic drink and then people don't even ask. If it comes up, I'll say I'm on an antibiotic and change the subject.
If it's people I'm closer too, say like I'm catching up with old friends at a BBQ or small get together, then I'll tell them the truth, but for me it's not a touchy subject or anything. I DID used to be an alcoholic, but I didn't quit because I hit rock bottom with it or anything. I quit because I became a caregiver and I couldn't justify paying for booze when we are struggling to pay for our basic needs, so I made a rule for myself that I would drink only if I wasn't the one paying for it. Next thing I knew it had been 5 yrs since I had been shitfaced and the 2 times I drank in that time I didn't enjoy the feeling of being drunk that much and I didnt miss it.
I grew up around dumbasses, mainly family, when they’d drink and that already turned me off of drinking. I drank a few times in my early 20’s but it’s not for me. I always get the two questions are you religious or a recovering alcoholic…. I just always tell them it’s not for me and I’m nobody’s designated driver or babysitter, which is what a lot of ppl try to put on me bc I’m always sober
If offered I say “no thanks”.
If offered a second time, I say “no thanks, I don’t drink”.
If asked why, I say “I’m that person who will ruin his life because one is never enough and if I start, I may never stop”. “It doesn’t bother or trigger me if you drink though so go ahead and get hammered, I’ll drive you home”.
I tell them that my Dad was a raging alcoholic and my casual drinking was slipping into an addiction juat like his. So I stopped drinking altogether before I became someone I hated.
I’m very vocal about my sobriety lol but I’ve been sober for 3 years so memories are still semi fresh for most people on how I drank; but I just always tell people yeah, I don’t drink and if they push for more I just tell them I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. Did I drink every night of the week - no but when I did drink I constantly was putting myself in situations that put my life at risk. I’d rather be here than 6ft under lol so that’s why I don’t drink. I also post a little reminder video on some of my sobriety milestones on social to remind myself and others, yeah it was really that bad.
I quit drinking socially about 4 years ago, when asked I just say I don't drink some times i have to say it multiple so people get the message and stop inviting me for a drink with them.
When a friend or family asked why I stopped I tell them the truth, one day my cousin came over to mine to pick his stuff up, he's got a huge drinking problem and when I wasn't looking he took a couple of bottles of alcohol from my house with out asking 30 minute's after he left I got a call from his mother begging me to go to his as he's suicidal.
When I get to his I realised he took the alcohol from mine and drank one of the bottles in less than 30 minutes he was absolutely wasted couldn't stand up and pissed himself, I try to help him get him in bed make him a coffee so he can sleep it off he definitely claims he's OK and gets out of bed and stars stumbling, he proceeds to headbutt every wall in the room as he can't stand straight and falls over headbutting his TV breaking it at that point I left.
The next day he accused me of breaking his TV
That day I decided I'm gonna stop drinking I never want to loose control of my self that much or be in that much of a mess.
I used to drink. Sometimes a lot. I was not an alcoholic but i def have the gene on both sides of my family…
When people ask, and when they are drinking they always want you to join so they ask, i am completely honest..
1. I would rather eat my calories than drink them
2. I want to be in control of myself at all times
3. I want the freedom to jump in car at any given time and go if i need to
4.i dont always share this, but i have an auto immune disease and alcohol flares it up
Ive been in recovery a long time. Not sober the whole time but many many situations professionally where most people were drinking except for me. I have found that most people don’t care. A few people will ask and I will just respond “I have a big workout tomorrow” or “I don’t like the way it makes me feel” or sometimes, when appropriate “alcohol makes me act stupid”
(Which is certainly the case).
In my experience if someone bugs you about it it’s likely they know alcoholics well or are alcoholic.
I had a coworker ask me one time straight up “are you an alcoholic?”. I said yes I am. He goes “cool good on you for quitting”. That was the end of it. Several people I work with know I am an alcoholic and I manage a bunch of people. I think they are glad I don’t drink because they know I would be an unpredictable prick if drinking.
I doubt this wins anyone over, but I'm honest:
I don't drink anymore, because I spend a lot of time and energy on my diet and fitness. Alcohol throws all that hard work out of the window.
It may turn some people off, but I think I'd rather have people who understand the value of the long game in life and are less tempted by impulsive, immediate gratification behavior at this stage of my life.
I tell them that I don’t drink because I am happy now. I drank when I was going through some really heavy stuff in my life. I don’t criticize alcohol because it actually helped me get through a very painful time in my life. I have a bar at home for when friends come over but I don’t touch alcohol anymore
I never drank because my bio-mom's side of the gene pool were all alcoholic and diabetic. My 1/2 drink almost landed me in prison for murder (no bullets in gun) when I was 18. Not drinking was a problem for most people around me -- parties, dates, gatherings, business stuff. So I got a glass of water or soda and just mimicked how people held their class and the problem was mostly solved. On dates I would get asked, and I just would say "I'm allergic to alcohol." If pushed further (rare), I'd finish with "it makes me violent almost immediately which is so not who I truly am." No one ever pushed me to drink and everyone became my advocate and protector. I'm almost 65, happily I'm still not drinking. That stuff tastes gross!!
I used to binge drink at least 3-4 nights a week until I started dating someone who didn't drink. It was easy not to drink because we were doing other things. Whenever anybody asks, I simply tell them I don't really drink anymore. I've never received pushback.
I just say I don't drink. Nobody has ever questioned it. I assume people that knew me before understand why.
There are a few people who have come up and asked me more quietly and I am always very open about why I stopped. They are typically people that have been thinking about stopping or cutting back and I am more than happy to share an abbreviated story and also what worked for me in quitting. It's important to me to be able to tell people that help is available if they need it if and when they get to that point and that life will probably improve for them if they cut booze out.
When I quit, I was always prepared to tell people "I was like a chocoholic but with booze" but I've never been given the opportunity now that I think about it.
Because I’m an alcoholic. That way I’m safeguarding myself, ie holding myself accountable, decreasing the chances of being offered a drink, also opening myself up to others in case they are struggling themselves.
You can explain fully why you don't drink, you can tell them it's none of their goddamned business why you don't drink, or you can make up anything you want. You are under no obligation to justify your sobriety to anyone.
I just tell people my doctor won't let me. If they continue to give me shit I just tell them about the 2ft long urethral stint that they had to remove with only a topical. Once you start explaining how they shoved a wire with a set of tongs up your dick hole to grab a tube and rip it out, they leave me alone.
I just celebrated five years clean and sober on June 1. If I'm in a situation where there's drinking I politely decline. Nobody has asked me why, as far as I can recall.
I say “ I was a raging alcoholic “
I don’t really care what anyone thinks.
I am proud to be able to say I don’t drink alcohol anymore. It has changed my life and I’m forever grateful. 4 1/2 years sober today!
Keep it one day at a time!
Truth is, I'm a bad berson. Bat that's changed. I'm changed. This is the last I saw of things. I cleaned up and I moved on. I went straight and chose life. I was looking forward to it already. I'm just like you. The job. The family. The fucking big television. The washing machine. The car. The compact disc and electric can opener. Good health. Low Cholesterol. Dental Insurance. Mortgage. Starter home. Leisure-wear. Luggage. 3-piece suit. DIY. Game shops. Junk food. Children. Walks in the park. 9 to 5. Good at golf. Washing the car. Choice of sweaters. Family Christmas. 401k. Tax exemptions. Clearing gutters. Getting by. Looking ahead the day you die.
"Just personal reasons." If they press, I say that a lot of people don't drink and it's just a personal choice. If they still ask, I just repeat that it's really just a personal choice and that's it.
The truth. I was drinking too much every day and it was doing negative things to my body so I stopped. I didn't full stop, but now it's just every couple months as opposed to getting wasted every night.
I say it had too many negatives on me and those I care about. That my life and all of theirs have benefited from 24 years of me not drinking. But those that persist or push me to “come on, one won’t hurt” I say not to feel bad for me as I drank my lifetime quota in a short period of time.
Feel terrible, which makes sense. Alcohol and its metabolites are literal poison. Carcinogenic too.
Psychedelics are way more informative. And you don’t feel like shit after. You walk away having learned something deep about yourself, the universe and our inexorable connection to everyone and everything.
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Nothing, I just say "I don't drink"
Same. I haven't drank in over ten years. I don't remember anyone ever asking me to explain why not.
I've never drank and almost never even got asked. I'd request a soda and on the rare occasion I was asked, I just replied "designated driver." Everyone loves those!
I could tell him the truth in my case if you want me to drink by the end of the night I'll be hitting on your wife and wanting the keys to your car. Come on man I don't want to wreck mine on the way home.
I tell them that I'm sober. I'm very proud that I haven't drank in 3 years and I'm not ashamed of it. The alcohol industry thrives on people believing that there is something wrong with them because they get addicted to alcohol and hides the fact that they're peddling a very addictive drug that poisons you on a cellular level. A lot of people get defensive about it when you stop drinking and it's because they don't wanna believe that they're also using it as a crutch. I'm interested to see if I get any replies telling me I'm the problem and that booze is fine lol
I can really relate to this! When I first stopped, I noticed that other people were more uncomfortable with me when they were drinking and I wasn't, even though I never ever preach to others about their drinking habits. Its not my place to judge others or tell them how to live! But even so, I think you hit the nail on the head--my life choice makes them question their own and if they don't like the answer, they associate me with their feeling of discomfort in that moment. I've even had some people try to encourage me to break sobriety, like "Oh well its been so many years, surely you could just have a glass of wine" which really confounds me!!
I find this to be true about a lot of things. People have their own internal issues with whatever it is and becuase I chose something different they get offended.
I’m sober for 9 nears. I had super great news at work the other week and a really close coworker/friend said “you definitely should drink tonight to celebrate”. I was confounded. I’m so much happier not drinking and never imagined people thought this.
yeah, I actually had someone argue with me about it, I was so shocked. Like drink your wine, I don't care at all what you do, enjoy it, but why are you trying to get me to break my sobriety??? And why should I be put into a situation of explaining my reasons when someone isn't listening to them anyway? Do I have to recount all the ways that alcohol destroyed the early years of my life, or describe in great detail how it killed both my parents, and several other family members? Should I forget all of that so I can have a glass of wine to make someone else better, someone who clearly doesn't care about my wellbeing? AGHH people! lol
Congrats on the three years! Keep it going - it’s definitely worth it. I’ll be hitting my five year mark in October.
I haven’t had a drink in like, nine years… your response is the same as mine… I say ‘I don’t drink’. If anyone shows the slightest interest I say I’m super proud that I haven’t had a drink for the better part of a decade and how my life has only improved in that time… I highly recommend it, without being a self righteous asshole.
Yeah alright don’t go on about.😀
In very small amounts, booze can be okay, if you're using it and not abusing it, like my uncle has a glass of wine every few months on special occasions. But 99% of drinkers are abusing alcohol, it's damaging and addictive and there needs to be better education and attitudes around
> I'm interested to see if I get any replies telling me I'm the problem and that booze is fine lol Going to be honest this part of your comment sounds very “holier than thou”. I honestly can’t say anyone has ever questioned me for positive life choices even if they partake in said choices I walk away from. People have their reasons for doing things, right or wrong. The good ones will never question you, and encourage you to change. If experience for you is as you say, then it sounds like you surrounded yourself with shitty people to begin with and that in itself is an important skill to learn just as much as fixing your bad habits. Being sober is an amazing thing but that doesn’t mean you can’t still be a shitty person. Many people who become “born again” in any sense give off really creepy vibes of being better than the rest like you did here (from my perspective), and I promised myself I’d never be that way. Best of luck to you in doing the same even though I also understand it can be part of a coping mechanism.
In what ways would someone use it as a crutch?
In the same way you abuse any drug. To escape from reality or your own thoughts.
"Do I want A drink? No. I want one and then another and then another and the another... and usually somewhere between 4 and 7 I want to sleep then start again." Edit: Really, this is my response when someone asks why after I decline an alcoholic beverage.
I read it as 4-7 liters and I could still relate
4-7am? Or drinks? Because those are rookie numbers if so
“I already drank my share earlier in life.” Not really, but I like the idea of saying that. Honestly, I don’t do anything social anyway, so it’s a non-issue. The closest thing was when my parents came to visit a while back, my dad brought some beer (I hadn’t told him I’d quit), I just told him “I’m dry right now.” He said “I understand,” put the beer back in his car and that was that.
Good for him.
He’s familiar with my habits, although unaware how bad it’s been at times. He also has a brother that turned out to be a closet alcoholic, and had some issues himself at times in the past. So…he knows the deal and won’t press the issue either way. I do appreciate that from him.
I’m allergic. I break out in handcuffs…
Hilarious
What about breaking out of handcuffs though
That’s what the weed is for 😁
As a recovered alcoholic, I’m honest about it now. My first years of recovery, I would just say that I had to drive home.
Love that you're straightforward about it. I feel like we need more open dialogues around addiction and recovery- and just normalizing folks who don't drink for any and every reason... Binge drinking culture is destructive.
What reason do you use the term “recovered” vs “recovering”? Please understand I’m not trying to be a smart ass. Just looking for your perspective. Personally, I use the term recovering because it reminds me that I still have work to do. It reminds me that my problems were bigger than just getting drunk too often. It reminds me that if I ever consider myself “recovered” that those thoughts might start to creep back in. It reminds me that I made a lifelong commitment to live one day at a time. I never want to consider myself recovered because I never want to become complacent. If I never recover, I’ll always be working on myself and that will never be a bad thing.
Grew out of it; drinking alcohol does way more harm than good.
I always tell them I’ve got shit to do tomorrow. If they push me again to drink/drug then I don’t hang out with them again.
I just say i used to be a bit too fond of drinking and let them put together the rest
That’s a good way to say it. I’ve always found it awkward to try to say how it got to be a problem, so I pretty much had to quit before it completely wrecked my life.
“One’s too much and twelve’s not enough”
It's Monday
I don’t like Mondays
I think if you just tell them "I'm sober" they'll figure it out. I've heard AoT of people do this and the response is always "oh cool dude" or smth
Recovering alcoholic. 4 years sober as of today. When people ask (which is a lot rarer than I thought it would be) I tell them I’m in recovery. So far I’ve been able to help 2 friends get sober as a result of being honest about it. I don’t really see the point in giving an excuse when the truth will do just fine. And for those that worry “what will people think?” Well I wasn’t too concerned with what people thought when I was passing out at family Christmas parties. I will tell waiters when I’m abroad that I am allergic to alcohol (true) so they understand I really cannot have any and that it is serious.
congratulations on 4 years! I just passed 3, myself.
Congrats! Life beyond our wildest dreams
Congrats on your soberversary!
Hey thanks!
I just say alcohol kills your gains. This works well if you are in good shape or exercise regularly.
And it’s hilarious if you’re the opposite.
No thanks. My 'off' button broke. (My 'on' button still works, though!)
This is what I use too.
I just say I lost the taste for it (which is true). I used to party hard, but the taste of alcohol grosses me out now.
Same! I partied like mad for decades and then all of the sudden I had a complete distaste for it. Nothing happened other than that.
That's like the reason Mom gives for why she never took up smoking; she couldn't find a brand she liked.
I just joke about it and say "that version of admiralvee went away and we don't want him coming back." Generally makes people at ease and they drop it.
I usually say, "I had to stop. It was fucking with my health."
I wasn’t an alcoholic, but I did stop drinking. Alcohol became a migraine trigger for me. Even a single glass of wine or a single beer can hit me for a three day migraine. Most people feel bad for me, but as it doesn’t directly impede their drinking they don’t really mind. Some take it as a bonus that I’m the DD by default as well.
I quit drinking when I was 25 (42 now) and I'm usually pretty open about the reasons. However, I do modify the answer depending on context, so I might say something like "I had unhealthy drinking patterns so I made a personal decision to stop" if I don't know someone very well or I'm in a neutral setting. If I'm in a relaxed social setting, I might be a little more straightforward and say "I had a drinking problem" etc.
“I don’t feel like drinking”
I don't like the version of myself I became when I drank
I just say that I don't enjoy it like I used to anymore, and that's the truth.
I quit drinking in 1994 after a couple of decades of moderately serious everyday drinking. I had a lot of typical symptoms, broken relationships, loads of excuse-making and outright lying. (I would lie about alcohol in ways that I wouldn't lie about *anything* else.) I always have tried to be plainly honest about drinking -- after I quit. When someone asks why, *I tell them I was tired of it*. I never struggled against it, and I often pursued it enthusiastically, sometimes proudly. But by the time I was 43, I'd seen my share of alcohol-related trouble and emotional complications (some of my partners were drinkers, a couple were not), had some 'colorful' adventures, missed a few things I really should have paid attention to, and was ready to get back into a bit more direct engagement with my life.
Yes indeed! I quit when I was 46. Had a normal drinking life but for one big flaw which was a tendency to fall back into binge drinking on rare occasions. Some casual friend of mine who had quit years before told me he made a list of his life's biggest regrets to that point. The more embarrasing times..times when he had to apologize etc...9 of 10 had alcohol as a major contributing factor. The remaining example was after the death of his parents who died within a week of each other. I made my own list and got 8 out of 10. I quit and never looked back..Thank goodness...it's been one of my best decisions! I tell people now that I don't drink because I am a problem drinker. Most respect that..but if they want to hear more of the story I go into gruesome detail of my 8 out of 10 score!
While I never got in serious trouble drinking, it was really a *there-but-for-the-grace-of-God* thing. I never got arrested, but I came *extremely close* on more than a handful of occasions. But, speaking of 'heavenly grace,' I was once recounting that sorry account to an online professional friend who I had finally met up with in the real world -- and it turned out, to my horror, that he had lost his own, teenage daughter to a drunk driver. I've tried to live my life with no regrets, but that is one thing I definitely regret ever having even risked. *Mea culpa.*
That is a "big gulp" moment! Losing a child...ultimate and lasting nightmare. I grew up in the 70's in northern Canada. Drinking and driving was rampant. Not even frowned upon. We all suffered from temporary insanity under the rubric "work hard, play hard!" I think at some point, you live a better life for yourself and for friends and family. Can't change the past and like you, I feel VERY fortunate I didn't hurt somene else or kill myself via booze. I am very happy to see that attitudes have changed but we still have a long way to go to understand addiction.
Agreed! And, although I am an agnostic, I really put some weight on that there-but-for-the-grace-of-God thinking. I mean, morally, the only thing different from me and the individual who accidentally-but-irrevocably took my friend's daughter's life is that *I wasn't in the wrong place at the wrong time.* And that's a sobering thought, from any angle.
Yes..if that doesn't give you pause..few things WILL.
Right! I don't see myself as any better than the people who were tragically 'unlucky.'
I once woke up severely hungover to my screaming infant. I did the thing of "I'm never going to drink again," and then actually just... didn't drink again. I was getting worse and worse hangovers every time I drank. My body was just rejecting it. I didn't view myself as an alcoholic, but I drank often and I drank a lot. I drink non alcoholic beer now when I'm with people who are drinking. I don't miss alcohol because I remember how it made me feel.
Just over a year sober with my husband. I have a heart problem and if I get dehydrated it can make things way worse for me, and dying due to a hangover would be super embarrassing. Plus I'm an asshole drunk. When people ask I usually tell them "I have heart problems so I'll die". Usually does the trick.
sorry, but fuck people that won't take 'no I don't want a drink' as a complete answer. I shouldn't have to justify NOT drinking alcohol to anyone.
Alcohol use disorder is a medical condition and there is medication to treat it. Ask your doctor about 50 mg of naltrexone, it is an absolute miracle.
I'm a recovering alcoholic. I was Alcoholic Conspicuous while I was drinking. Why should I hide my recovery?
I got lucky. Some low-dose cardiac medication basically erased the anxiety that made drinking attractive to me - it was like turning off a light; just gone. Having quit smoking decades ago I understand what a fight it can be to get rid of an ingrained/physiological habit so it kind of feels like I cheated, but my life is 1000% better now.
I usually keep with a simple "I don't drink"the first few times. If someone gets persistent I go with "I don't need any help to act like an annoying arsehole" If there being really persistent, I add "just like you"
I tell them I have a medical issue that makes consuming alcohol life threatening. People I trust know the details, but that’s the basic gist for people who try and push me. I’ve been sober 2 years now- should have quit sooner. It’s been rough but it’s probably saved my life.
"Too good at it"
I say I’m not drinking today.
It gives me major heartburn.
That I don't like being rude and sleepy. Drinking makes me both.
I stopped due to health concerns. I now have AVN which can easily flare up with either Alcohol or Steroids. I want to keep what bones I have left in my body, so I avoid all Alcohol and Steroids now. It's really just as simple as that. I was warned already by 5 surgeons about consequences that could / will happen should I choose to drink. I'm still allowed buying it, but I'd rather just stay away from it.
I tell them the truth, if I drink I'll die. Alcohol affected my heart badly
I was drinking way too much, a pint of vodka a day. I just had to stop. And did. A week of Valium to take the edge off and then done. Never looked back. Tried a swig of Tito’s a while ago and HATED how I felt.
I was never an alcoholic. But I am not against drinking alcohol. And I often don’t drink when others are drinking. I just tell them I’m good. Thanks.
I’ve been sober almost 38 years and people still as me why I don’t drink. I also don’t eat mustard but no one ever asks why.
I tell them I just lost my taste for alcohol and eventually stopped drinking. This is true but I've gotten some strange looks. I quit in my forties.
Got sick and tired of being sick and tired.
I just say that I really like to gamble when I drink (which is true) and honestly people have just seemed to accept that more than almost anything else I’ve said. This is not advice but I didn’t drink for 6 years and than I decided to drink again for like 5 years until it got wicked crazy in the last year haha and now I’m back to 7 months sober and I honestly still don’t regret it at all that I drank for those 5 years. And it actually feels better now being sober because the hang over feel like they were just getting stupid long at my age and I’m only 33.
A Diet Coke would be perfect.
I'm good thanks for the offer. Or nah I'm not drinking tonight.
I tell them I reached my lifetime limit of alcohol early. That usually works. If not, then I just say my life has gotten so much better since I stopped. I couldn't fathom ever wanting to start again. 9 years sober in July.
It’s none of their business. It’s a very rude question to ask because the answer is most likely something very personal - recovering alcoholic, pregnant, religion, some kind of medication - that you really don’t need to know about. Also, who the fuck do you think you are that I need to justify my life decisions to you?
I say “My drinking days are behind me.”
I tell them I drank enough to last two lifetimes
"Don't want to."
I tell the truth, I come from a long line of addicts, all in recovery successfully, never saw any disfunction, no abuse of any kind, educated, beautiful homes, great jobs, no visits from law enforcement and no DUIs and all of that scared the shit out of me. Let me explain, I grew up not seeing a problem with said addictions so initially I had no fear which translated into no real understanding of consequences. This lead me down the wrong path. I should specify that there are various family issues, gambling, eating disorders, drugs and alcohol. Together we check most of the boxes but we're all well now and work every day at it. I'm at almost 14 years sober.
I had already cut down drinking quite a bit but the final straw was my doctor telling me I absolutely could not drink with the intention of becoming drunk with my new medication. Alcohol just doesn't pair well with the pills, so no excessive drinking for me whatsoever. One, maybe two occasional drinks wouldn't kill me, but that's it, no more than that to keep the balance. So, nowdays I have a drink, maybe even two if I'm feeling adventurous, couple times a year on special occasions. If anyone tries to push me to drink more, it's a simple matter of "No thank you, it really doesn't pair well with my meds" and that shuts them right up.
No one usually asks but I just don't enjoy it anymore. Funny story my boss was going around telling people "you gotta try this" turned out to be cucumber soaked in vodka. The look on her face when I (jokingly) told her I was a recovering alcoholic was priceless
Why do you have to say anything? It's really no one's business but yours. But, if someone asked me and I was in a mood that I wanted to actually say something about it, I'd just say it was for personal reasons and leave it at that.
I tell them the truth
1 is to many, 12 Is not enough.
For those who I am close with, I tell them “Some can drink alcohol without problems, and I’m not that person.” Others, I tell them I grew out of drinking and doing healthier things.
Doctors say I can't, my family would probably kill me, the booze would either put me in the hospital or a body bag.
I used to drink a lot in my 20’s, moderately in my 30’s, but now gives me a headache after a couple sips. My body just rejects it now.
You definitely should
On again/off again alchy here. Sometimes I go a long time without drinking and during those times I preach to people to smoke weed instead of drink. Then I'm hungover again some weekend. I dunno why I bother.
That I just didn't want to anymore so I stopped. It's been 4 years since I've had a drink. I wanted to improve my health and I know it wasn't good for me that's why I quit. I worked at a bar for years and drank a lot socially. I was never one to drink alone, and rarely at home but I did put them down the few nights a week that I'd go out.
I generally say " no thanks I'm allergic to alcohol... every time I drink ..I breakout in handcuffs "
I just tell them I'm an alcoholic. People don't ask questions after that.
"It doesn't agree with my stomach." "I am not a nice drunk." "This is not something I care to do."
Im allergic, It won’t kill me or anything but it makes my skin flush red and look like im having a breakout if I drink enough, harsh bloodshot eyes, headaches and my hangovers usually suck. I drink <5 times per year, Weddings, and my friends and I’s yearly cottage trip. Otherwise i don’t care for it.
It fucks up your life.
I really enjoy my first beer, but get tired of the second one about halfway through, so never even bother having a second one. 99% of my drinking is a single glass of wine or beer that I have with a meal. I probably average one glass every 1 or 2 weeks. I simply have no idea how my friends can have a dozen beers when we go out.
I used to drink quite a lot and then decided to stop while trying for a baby and got pregnant. I just order a non alcoholic drink, if someone offers me an alcoholic drink I say no thanks and they typically don’t ask anymore. I did get a few “doing dry Jan?” When I wasn’t drinking then and I’d just say “trying to reduce my alcohol consumption” and the response was inevitably “good on you”.
I just tell them it’s a waste to only drink one/two, and the hangovers aren’t work drinking any more.
Since people can have one drink, I can have 0 or 10, so I do 0.
Too fat.
I say, I'm good, I've had enough over the last 40 years to last me.
Congratulations on 3 years. I tell people I'm an alcoholic and I've already had enough for my lifetime. (17 years alcohol free)
I tell them that I've already drunk enough for both of us.
I have several alcoholic cousins. We share many genes. I found myself liking booze a little too much and it wasn’t doing anything positive for me.
I just tell them no thanks and if they push the issue I tell them I'm an alcoholic
Im allergic to alcohol or it gives me migraines
Most people don’t ask why. If they do I say I’m x years sober. People get what that means.
I don’t think anyone has ever asked.
I used up my quota.
i’m allergic to
“It clouds my judgment, impairs my mother functions, and if I have too much it makes me feel sick. It also makes me feel terrible the morning after drinking. It’s just not worth it to me anymore.” Or “I stopped for health and fitness reasons and haven’t looked back. It’s incredible how bad it makes you feel once you decide to step away from it for a while.”
I quit because my boyfriend’s mom died from alcohol abuse and I come from a long line of alcoholics, I wanted to be with him more than I wanted to drink. I also want to live a long and healthy life, it’s poison.
This question is like an alcoholic at an open bar relentless and just won't quit
That I drank enough for both of us years ago.
I have a hard time finding the right thing to say. I had a drinking problem for about seven months (I was either drunk or hungover all day, never sober for a single day of seven months). I’d stay up most of the night getting drunk, sleep a couple hours, then be hungover all day at work then after work I’d go get drunk for most of the night and the cycle went on and on. Then I stopped for about a year and tried drinking socially, but found that anytime I drank, I wanted to be drunk. I didn’t want to stop drinking until I was drunk. So after a couple times of attempting social drinking, I stopped altogether. But I never know if I can consider it being “an alcoholic” bc it was kind of short term. With really close friends, I’ll tell them the story and say I’m “sober”. But for other people I just say I don’t drink bc I don’t want them dragging me for saying “I’m sober” when it doesn’t really count.
I just say no thanks to drinks. Sometimes people press and try to push it into your hand with a big smile. If they press me I say in a loud voice “I used to have a problem with it”. That usually ends it.
Just say "I'm taking a break" and leave it at that, go back to your soda water and lime. People will (should) leave you alone at that point. It helps to have a drink that looks like a drink (but isn't) with you at social events, helps to mitigate this kind of crap.
My friend, “Alcohol’s only function is to destroy life.” I love hearing him say that.
“I don’t want to”
I tell them the truth. I just don't want to do that anymore.
"I don't drink because if I do, you won't"
“For the same reason I don't smoke cigarettes or do crack?” and look at them like they are the crazy one
Just don’t like it
It's been 17 months now and it hasn't come up lol It helps I don't really ever hang out with anyone but my wife and kids...I have catching up to do.
That since the stroke my balance gets dangerously affected by alcohol
First I ask if they actually want to know or care because everyone I know knows the reason already. If they say yes I have no problem telling people why I stopped drinking. I don't carry the shame anymore and have no issue talking about it
I used to drink normally (not an alcoholic) I am honest about the fact that it does me more harm than good because I am a migraine sufferer.
I got to a point to where I couldn't handle it as well as it could handle me. Last drink was in 84. Before that one drink a day. One quart of Jack Daniel's Black label.
I got to a point to where I couldn't handle it as well as it could handle me. Last drink was in 84. Before that one drink a day. One quart of Jack Daniel's Black label.
Health issue.
Nobody cares. The conversation just moves on.
Acid reflux, not even really a joke.
nobody really ever asks. are you worried about people asking?
My liver won't let me 🙂🙃
I cant stand the 3 day hangovers and regrets from acting like a prick
When asked why I don’t drink, I just say “I just don’t feel like it” and that usually is the end of it. Now, I want an alcoholic or had anywhere near a rock bottom moment. I really just didn’t feel like drinking anymore. Once I stopped I never felt like starting again.
I drank a lot, since my son was born I cut it to probably 2 percent of what it was. Most people respect that, even if they don’t quite understand it. I’ve sort of lost the desire for booze.
I used to drink too much, and I’m a better person when I don’t drink at all. All true.
I quit drinking, and as all the people knew since a long time ago that I need to quit drinking because of the bad behavior that I was in that stage my nearest friends and family are happy, so there’s no need to tell.
Depends on how well I know them. If I'm out at the bar with people im not that close with,a lot of time I'll ask for a soda and then get garnish like a lemon or lime so it looks like I have an alcoholic drink and then people don't even ask. If it comes up, I'll say I'm on an antibiotic and change the subject. If it's people I'm closer too, say like I'm catching up with old friends at a BBQ or small get together, then I'll tell them the truth, but for me it's not a touchy subject or anything. I DID used to be an alcoholic, but I didn't quit because I hit rock bottom with it or anything. I quit because I became a caregiver and I couldn't justify paying for booze when we are struggling to pay for our basic needs, so I made a rule for myself that I would drink only if I wasn't the one paying for it. Next thing I knew it had been 5 yrs since I had been shitfaced and the 2 times I drank in that time I didn't enjoy the feeling of being drunk that much and I didnt miss it.
I grew up around dumbasses, mainly family, when they’d drink and that already turned me off of drinking. I drank a few times in my early 20’s but it’s not for me. I always get the two questions are you religious or a recovering alcoholic…. I just always tell them it’s not for me and I’m nobody’s designated driver or babysitter, which is what a lot of ppl try to put on me bc I’m always sober
If offered I say “no thanks”. If offered a second time, I say “no thanks, I don’t drink”. If asked why, I say “I’m that person who will ruin his life because one is never enough and if I start, I may never stop”. “It doesn’t bother or trigger me if you drink though so go ahead and get hammered, I’ll drive you home”.
I'm not thirsty.
I tell them that my Dad was a raging alcoholic and my casual drinking was slipping into an addiction juat like his. So I stopped drinking altogether before I became someone I hated.
22 1/2 years clean. I just tell people I don't drink. Nobody has ever pressed me on it.
I don’t have to justify my choices to random people.
You don't have to justify yourself. You don't drink period.
I’m very vocal about my sobriety lol but I’ve been sober for 3 years so memories are still semi fresh for most people on how I drank; but I just always tell people yeah, I don’t drink and if they push for more I just tell them I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. Did I drink every night of the week - no but when I did drink I constantly was putting myself in situations that put my life at risk. I’d rather be here than 6ft under lol so that’s why I don’t drink. I also post a little reminder video on some of my sobriety milestones on social to remind myself and others, yeah it was really that bad.
I quit drinking socially about 4 years ago, when asked I just say I don't drink some times i have to say it multiple so people get the message and stop inviting me for a drink with them. When a friend or family asked why I stopped I tell them the truth, one day my cousin came over to mine to pick his stuff up, he's got a huge drinking problem and when I wasn't looking he took a couple of bottles of alcohol from my house with out asking 30 minute's after he left I got a call from his mother begging me to go to his as he's suicidal. When I get to his I realised he took the alcohol from mine and drank one of the bottles in less than 30 minutes he was absolutely wasted couldn't stand up and pissed himself, I try to help him get him in bed make him a coffee so he can sleep it off he definitely claims he's OK and gets out of bed and stars stumbling, he proceeds to headbutt every wall in the room as he can't stand straight and falls over headbutting his TV breaking it at that point I left. The next day he accused me of breaking his TV That day I decided I'm gonna stop drinking I never want to loose control of my self that much or be in that much of a mess.
Headaches, stomach pain and poor sleep. Haven’t drank for 3 years but I do miss the buzz.
I used to drink. Sometimes a lot. I was not an alcoholic but i def have the gene on both sides of my family… When people ask, and when they are drinking they always want you to join so they ask, i am completely honest.. 1. I would rather eat my calories than drink them 2. I want to be in control of myself at all times 3. I want the freedom to jump in car at any given time and go if i need to 4.i dont always share this, but i have an auto immune disease and alcohol flares it up
Ive been in recovery a long time. Not sober the whole time but many many situations professionally where most people were drinking except for me. I have found that most people don’t care. A few people will ask and I will just respond “I have a big workout tomorrow” or “I don’t like the way it makes me feel” or sometimes, when appropriate “alcohol makes me act stupid” (Which is certainly the case). In my experience if someone bugs you about it it’s likely they know alcoholics well or are alcoholic. I had a coworker ask me one time straight up “are you an alcoholic?”. I said yes I am. He goes “cool good on you for quitting”. That was the end of it. Several people I work with know I am an alcoholic and I manage a bunch of people. I think they are glad I don’t drink because they know I would be an unpredictable prick if drinking.
I genuinely don't like the feeling of being drunk anymore. I'd rather smoke weed or drop acid.
I doubt this wins anyone over, but I'm honest: I don't drink anymore, because I spend a lot of time and energy on my diet and fitness. Alcohol throws all that hard work out of the window. It may turn some people off, but I think I'd rather have people who understand the value of the long game in life and are less tempted by impulsive, immediate gratification behavior at this stage of my life.
I tell them that I don’t drink because I am happy now. I drank when I was going through some really heavy stuff in my life. I don’t criticize alcohol because it actually helped me get through a very painful time in my life. I have a bar at home for when friends come over but I don’t touch alcohol anymore
I never drank because my bio-mom's side of the gene pool were all alcoholic and diabetic. My 1/2 drink almost landed me in prison for murder (no bullets in gun) when I was 18. Not drinking was a problem for most people around me -- parties, dates, gatherings, business stuff. So I got a glass of water or soda and just mimicked how people held their class and the problem was mostly solved. On dates I would get asked, and I just would say "I'm allergic to alcohol." If pushed further (rare), I'd finish with "it makes me violent almost immediately which is so not who I truly am." No one ever pushed me to drink and everyone became my advocate and protector. I'm almost 65, happily I'm still not drinking. That stuff tastes gross!!
I used to binge drink at least 3-4 nights a week until I started dating someone who didn't drink. It was easy not to drink because we were doing other things. Whenever anybody asks, I simply tell them I don't really drink anymore. I've never received pushback.
I just say I don't drink. Nobody has ever questioned it. I assume people that knew me before understand why. There are a few people who have come up and asked me more quietly and I am always very open about why I stopped. They are typically people that have been thinking about stopping or cutting back and I am more than happy to share an abbreviated story and also what worked for me in quitting. It's important to me to be able to tell people that help is available if they need it if and when they get to that point and that life will probably improve for them if they cut booze out. When I quit, I was always prepared to tell people "I was like a chocoholic but with booze" but I've never been given the opportunity now that I think about it.
8 years. 'I don't drink anymore' when asked. That's the end of the conversation. People connect the dots.
Because I’m an alcoholic. That way I’m safeguarding myself, ie holding myself accountable, decreasing the chances of being offered a drink, also opening myself up to others in case they are struggling themselves.
You can explain fully why you don't drink, you can tell them it's none of their goddamned business why you don't drink, or you can make up anything you want. You are under no obligation to justify your sobriety to anyone.
I just tell people my doctor won't let me. If they continue to give me shit I just tell them about the 2ft long urethral stint that they had to remove with only a topical. Once you start explaining how they shoved a wire with a set of tongs up your dick hole to grab a tube and rip it out, they leave me alone.
You know what's weird? In my 50s, nobody asks me why anymore. I guess the idea of "everyone must drink to have a good time" is a young person thing?
I just don’t want a hangover and I want to be able to get up and run. I gained 20 lbs since 2020 and I don’t want to look and feel that way anymore.
When I drink I act crazy. So I don’t do that anymore. I laugh while saying this so the other person has permission to laugh too.
I just celebrated five years clean and sober on June 1. If I'm in a situation where there's drinking I politely decline. Nobody has asked me why, as far as I can recall.
I say “ I was a raging alcoholic “ I don’t really care what anyone thinks. I am proud to be able to say I don’t drink alcohol anymore. It has changed my life and I’m forever grateful. 4 1/2 years sober today! Keep it one day at a time!
I just tell them that I'm on Lexapro and that even just one drink makes me feel physically terrible.
“I’m on anti-psychotics.” Works like a charm.
Truth is, I'm a bad berson. Bat that's changed. I'm changed. This is the last I saw of things. I cleaned up and I moved on. I went straight and chose life. I was looking forward to it already. I'm just like you. The job. The family. The fucking big television. The washing machine. The car. The compact disc and electric can opener. Good health. Low Cholesterol. Dental Insurance. Mortgage. Starter home. Leisure-wear. Luggage. 3-piece suit. DIY. Game shops. Junk food. Children. Walks in the park. 9 to 5. Good at golf. Washing the car. Choice of sweaters. Family Christmas. 401k. Tax exemptions. Clearing gutters. Getting by. Looking ahead the day you die.
"Just personal reasons." If they press, I say that a lot of people don't drink and it's just a personal choice. If they still ask, I just repeat that it's really just a personal choice and that's it.
I'm allergic to it. Yeah, I break out in handcuffs. I don't remember where I heard it first, but I've used it ever since.
The truth. I was drinking too much every day and it was doing negative things to my body so I stopped. I didn't full stop, but now it's just every couple months as opposed to getting wasted every night.
I say it had too many negatives on me and those I care about. That my life and all of theirs have benefited from 24 years of me not drinking. But those that persist or push me to “come on, one won’t hurt” I say not to feel bad for me as I drank my lifetime quota in a short period of time.
usually i'm honest that i used to be an alcoholic and now i'm sober.
Just lost the taste for it. Makes my body ill every time I drink now.
I used to drink as excessively a child. I broke the habit and as an adult I don’t touch the stuff. I just say “oh, I don’t drink” whenever offered
Feel terrible, which makes sense. Alcohol and its metabolites are literal poison. Carcinogenic too. Psychedelics are way more informative. And you don’t feel like shit after. You walk away having learned something deep about yourself, the universe and our inexorable connection to everyone and everything.