Anyone else can’t handle alcohol?!

[xxKatie9806xx]

At the age of mid thirties I’m seriously considering becoming tea total. My dilemma is that I’m quite an introverted person and do think a drink helps my confidence in social situations and I become bubblier. However, I get the most horrendous hangovers, sometimes I’m sick before I’ve even been to sleep and that’s on a couple of glasses of wine. I never drink of an evening at home so my tolerance is clearly very low. I just can’t handle it anymore!

So my dilemma, do I stop drinking all together but risk always being the boring one (as I said earlier I am much quieter without a drink). And you’re just never on the same level as anyone else if you’re not drinking and makes social events not that fun. Any non drinkers out there, has stopping social drinking changed anything much for you?

Also a reluctant teetotal-er due to chronic illness and disability. And I bloody love a glass of wine /bubbles 😭

I have to be teetotal despite loving alcohol, because for 3 days after a drink I feel desperately low and anxious. It happened when I was about 35. I miss it terribly. Alcohol is such fun but for me the price is just too high.

It makes my DH very ill if he has more than a couple of drinks. He doesn't drink much.

I've just finished the 30 day alcohol experiment by Annie Grace (author of the naked mind). I'm completely blown away by it - thought it would be a miserable, white knuckle willpower thing but it's really helped me examine my relationship with alcohol. I went in hoping to learn to moderate but don't feel a pull to drink again at all at the moment. The material covers loads of things including your concern about needing it to socialise. There's also a naked mind podcast which covers loads of questions like that. I sound like an advert but, like I say, I'm amazed by what it's done for me. I wasn't a daily drinker, prob 2-3 nights a week, but once started struggled to stop and was fed up of feeling anxious and the hangovers.

You’re not boring.

I wish people wouldn’t think drinking makes them a better person.

I’m teetotal as I’m an absolute lightweight. I’m drunk off a bottle of VK (the little bottles) so I tend to stick to pop when I’m out.

I still know I can have a laugh regardless and I’m a massive introvert. You just need to be confident.
❤️

I'm similar now. Massive drinker to now pretty much sober (no alcohol issues!!). I think you just need to work on your skills, a bit fake it til you make it. You do have to make an effort initially.

Sorry - misinterpreted. It looks like the worry about socialising/others perceptions is your only concern rather than any trouble actually quitting. I'm feeling evangelical at the moment

Yeah you’re all right, I do need to work on my confidence a bit. Probably doesn’t help that I’m the quietest of my group of friends so I feel like I need to drink to be more on their level otherwise a night out can be a bit hard work. But I seriously pay for it. I’m going to test it on a night out I’m having soon, not drink and see if I can be extra bubbly without it. Does anyone feel like they get stick off people for not drinking? I’ve also experienced this a lot which makes me nervous of announcing I’m driving etc, the ‘don’t be boring’ comments...

@vanhelgan

Sorry - misinterpreted. It looks like the worry about socialising/others perceptions is your only concern rather than any trouble actually quitting. I'm feeling evangelical at the moment

That’s ok vanhelgan, thanks for the support anyhow and glad it’s working for you! Sounds interesting and I would be interested in the bit about needing it to socialise as I do feel like that to an extent.

I almost totally gave up drinking a couple of years ago and I’m mid thirties too.
I will have one drink maybe every few months. Some friends were a bit silly over it initially but no one blinks at it anymore and tbh we had pretty much stopped the ‘girls nights out’ and moved onto dinner nights so it’s not such a big thing. Plus, like most people, I haven’t seen my group of friends as a big group for many months now and I think going forward things will be pretty different for a while so can’t imagine me not having a gin with dinner will be much of a talking point!
Honestly just do it if you want to, I feel loads better for it. No hangovers, no puffy face, no morning regret as to what I might have said or done! Just a clear head and feeling good.

Half a glass of wine is my limit, a right lightweight me! More and my knees go wobbly and I feel dizzy.
No, I don’t miss alcohol and I cannot think of a single friend who would bat an eyelid at someone not drinking alcohol. Perhaps it’s an age thing, I’m probably considerably older than most people on here and I don’t need to drink to enjoy myself.