Things to do that don't involve alcohol

[PinkPiano]

DH and I both need to re-appraise our relationship with alcohol because we both feel that it is probably beginning to affect our marital relationship. We both enjoy a drink and both drink more than we should. It's always fun, no rows or bad behaviour but it's taking its toll in other ways. It makes me anxious, health reasons and - the main reason for this thread - we realised that everything we do together involves alcohol. We go out for dinner so we have wine, we go to the theatre then we have wine in the interval and go for dinner with wine either before or after. Neither of us are into exercise - both walk the dog and that's about it. What stuff could we do on our dates?

We've laid off the alcohol quite a bit in the past few years.

Now we do a lot of hiking days!

parkrun followed by a nice breakfast somewhere, great start to the weekend. If you don’t fancy running then you can just walk it.

I think the obvious answer is to do the stuff you’d do anyway but without the alcohol, though I appreciate that’s harder.

On the other hand there is very little in this country that doesn’t at least try and involve alcohol in some way. Team sports tend to bond over a drink and country walks are often recommended punctuated by pubs. Cycling maybe?

Do you both drink at home? It might be more doable to only drink when out.

Cinema
Art gallery or museum
Bowling
Cafe
Ice cream parlour type place
Crazy golf (yes I do love this now I'm sober 😂)

Not much hiking to be had here. He finds walking boring. I quite like it (except when raining).

Breakfast is a nice idea. Love this.

He isn't into galleries or museums unfortunately.

He loves golf but I've never played and it holds no appeal. I like a bit of crazy golf though.

do those things but without alcohol, have an ice cream in interval, have non alcoholic drinks with dinner. Cinema, art galleries, games nights with friends, park fun, go out for brunch/lunch.

You can do anything you like (eg dinner, theatre, sports etc) just with soft drinks instead of alcohol. Concentrate on the activity, not the peripherals.

Do those things without drinking? Trying to think of what me and DH do but nope, same as you, just without drinking.

My whole life involves no alcohol so to me this is an odd question. I just have a different drink with dinner (sparkling water, or a low alcohol beer), eat an ice-cream at the interval of shows, and go out with friends to the pub but don't get drunk.

I think the more you go places and don't drink, the easier it gets. It's the thought of it that's hard when you are used to drinking all the time.

I've noticed a couple of older colleagues that have quit drinking have amazing skin now, it looked coarse and red before, I don't have amazing skin but I think I do ok so try to keep some motivation in there for whatever your reason is.

Cinema is good!

I feel your pain OP - we both really enjoy alcohol and honestly I find events without it a bit flat (I know that’s bad!)

Im currently pregnant so we’ve been doing:

• earlier dinners
• cinema
• walks (we do like these anyway)
• art gallery
• crazy golf
• bbqs in the nice wearher
• pub quiz

all of the above would be more fun with a glass of wine but it is what it is!

Wander round a farmers' market? Go to one of the dessert places that doesn't have an alcohol license? Afternoon tea (I know there is often a champagne option but it isn't the main event IYSIM). Agriculture fairs are interesting, or something like an air or car show?

Or clay pigeon shooting, orsome kind of watersport like canoeing or paddleboarding.

Go for a bike road with a nice cafe en route.

Try the alcohol substitutes where you can. Tanqueray do a good 0% gin, or a 0% beer. That way you can still feel like you’re having a treat but it’s alcohol free. AF wine is uniformly awful though, as are Prosecco substitutes.

Go to restaurants/theatres further away than usual to force one of you to be designated driver and the other to be sober in solidarity.

Just do your usual things without alcohol. See what it is like.

Don't understand how can 'walking' be boring . You go to somewhere interesting to walk.