Giving up alcohol - what to drink instead on social occasions and as a treat?

[MizzMimi]

I'm thinking about giving up alcohol. I'm happy with this decision in principle, but I'm a "it's Friday, let's open a bottle of wine" person, so I need something to replace that "end of the week treat". I think I'd be happy with some posh teas and a nice teapot for that.

My main problem is socialising. I don't like sweet drinks like coke or fruit juice. When I drink alcohol I tend to drink very dry white wines. I'd like whatever I drink when out to feel a bit of a treat though.

Any ideas?? Help!

I don't drink alcohol. When I fancy something special I have Belvoir cordials with sparkly water. Elderflower is my favourite and I even add a few olives.

This might be a daft question, but would you tend to be able get something like elderflower cordial in a pub? Or would they look at me like I'm daft if I asked for that? Also, so pubs tends to have non alcoholic sparkling wines for example?

Love the idea to have these soft drinks in a gin glass by the way.

Do you reckon a pub would do me a soft drink in a big wine glass? (Or again look at me like I'm daft?)

8Do you reckon a pub would do me a soft drink in a big wine glass? (Or again look at me like I'm daft?)*
No just ask them when you order,plus it stops all the questions as to why you are not drinking alcohol.

Elderflower - certainly I've seen it in gastro-type pubs. In my experience, if you ask them what good alcohol-free drinks they have they're happy to pull out the bottles to show you.

I think they would serve you a drink in whichever glass you'd like, tbh.

Do you like beer? Becks blue tastes just like becks but has no alcohol.

Lots of places now do non alcoholic cocktails.

I have been known to pour raspberry and cranberry juice into a wine glass.

Have you tried orange and lemonade? With fresh or britvic orange, that's something you can get anywhere.

I drink dry white wine for my only alcoholic drink. For the non-alcoholic alternative I've developed a taste for tonic water (Fevertree at the minute) with a slice of lemon - will probably be having rather more of this to avoid too much alcohol over Christmas.

Elderflower Cordial and fizzy water. (In an attempt to reduce plastic bottle use, we've gone bought a soda stream. Which is made of plastic. Ah the good old days of the 80s, when at least the bottles were glass!)

For a pre dinner drink I sometimes have V8, it's vegetable juice, quite tomatoey, I dress it up with Lee & Perrin's or Tabasco sauce and celery salt. It goes well with savoury snacks like cheese cubes or olives, so it still feels like a treat.

I'm not drinking through pregnancy and also don't like very sweet drinks. My faves are
Cranberry and soda with a slice of lime
Spicy Tomato juice
Ginger ale

At home I drink a glass of sparkling water with the juice of half a lemon and a pinch of sugar. In the pub, orange juice and lemonade, San Pelegríno or lime and soda. Tomato juice is a good idea.

I was pregnant last Christmas and did lots of research so I had something nice to drink on Christmas Day. My recommendations are:

• Rawsons Retreat Red Wine (Alcohol free section at Tesco)
• Tesco's Low Alcohol Sparkling Wine (Delcicious and not sweet, same aisle)
• Tonic Water with a big squeeze of lime juice

I've recently given up as losing weight and determined this will be for the last time
I've gotten into fruit teas at home and the knowledge I will wake up feeling good on a Saturday/Sunday and not end up sleeping in most of the morning and wasting the day

I like a virgin Moscow Mule. Dry ginger non-alcoholic beer with a squeeze of lime!

I love hot spiced apples, squirty cream with hot chocolate or pumpkin spiced late.
in pubs I get juice, mocktails or lime and soda with ice. virgin mary too.
you really get to see how boring it is to sit for hours on end in pubs as drinkers lose their sense of time.

Yes that's the bit I'm dreading - being with others getting drunk

Nosecco, Becks blue, alcohol free koppaberg, prohibition Budweiser- all my tried and tested faves!