to question why all social events have to involve drinking / getting drunk and to feel like I have grown out of it?

[Misspearshaped]

Every time there is a birthday, hen do, wedding, Christmas party etc amongst my friends / colleagues all people seem to want to do is drink and get drunk.

I am not a big drinker. I will have a couple of drinks but I'm not really into the whole "let's get really wasted" thing. I was when I was at uni, but that was 10 years ago and now I have hit 30 I have better ways to spend my time and money. I feel like I have totally grown out of wanting to get pissed.

I am very good at standing up for myself and not having my arm twisted into drinking more than I want to, but I am fed up with constantly being made to feel 'boring' because I don't want to get drunk.

One of the reasons I don't drink to excess is that I have hobbies and interests (mainly sport) so I like to feel fresh at the weekend to enjoy my hobbies and not slob around with a hangover all day. I also like to save my money for holidays or nice things for my house rather than spend all my wages on tequila slammers. I also have quite a high-stress job with a lot of responsibility so I can't afford to be hungover on weekdays either. Plus I can't be bothered with drinking too much and making a fool of myself (it's ok when you are 21 but a bit cringe when you are 30 I think) and I care about my health as well.

AIBU to feel this way?

I dont believe when people send the wine symbol they mean 'life is no fun without booze' i was merely stating that it annoys ME. I hate the phrase 'its wine o'clock' too !!! Why should it be a glass of wine that is associated with winding down/relaxing?

Like i said, i DO enjoy the taste of rum. But, i dont get 'drunk'. I do not want my actions to negatively affect others because iam a decent person.

(And no the tea symbol doesnt bother me because i absolutely love tea!!)

But some people DO associate wine with winding down and the phrase "wine o'clock" is meaningful for them, whether you like it or not. Some people do get drunk, and are also decent people. Doesn't mean you have to.

This is what I mean about hypocrisy. I thought the whole point of the thread was about how it's irritating to have your choices questioned.

Why should it be a glass of wine that is associated with winding down/relaxing?

because it just is. It's become that way for lots of people. Some people might look forward to a glass of wine all day but only have one.

It's not a thing that would bother me. After all, this thread is not about being teetotal, it's asking why binge drinking is seen as so wonderful, when many posters agree it's just no fun and they would rather not drink at all or just have a few and go home sober-ish.

"Why should it be a glass of wine that is associated with winding down/relaxing?"

Because it is relaxing and winds you down. It could also be a joint, but we don't have a smiley for that. Except the pic on

More seriously, there was a point in my life when I was younger when winding down/relaxing was with a glass of wine and a couple of cigarettes. I quit smoking years ago and we don't drink at home now for various reasons, so winding down these days is a cup of aromatic green tea and a few choc cookies but I have fond memories of all of the above.