Posters don’t drink alcohol

[HannaYeah]

What is it like?

Did you ever drink?

Would love to hear from all perspectives; people that never did, only do very occasionally, used to drink but quit.

I drink to be polite when I don’t have the excuse that I’m driving. I could happily live without it. Just not that bothered about it really.

I used to be a big drinker until my mid 30’s starting from a young teen. I think I probably did have a problem and it was starting to impact on my life and the way that others saw me. As I had kids I obviously drank less, but still loved to drink. I stopped completely when my husband ended up in rehab back in 2017. The aim was to support his sobriety, but as it turns out I’m much better at recovery than he is sadly (now recently split up due to his ongoing drink and drug abuse). I don’t miss it one bit, looking back alcohol never brought anything good into my life. I drank half a glass of wine at Christmas and couldn’t finish it. I’d have never thought that would be me! I’m just really happy being sober now, I always know exactly what I’m doing, never wake up hungover, never get the fear. It’s great.

I have a baby and a toddler and I don't need anything else to add to the tiredness that I feel almost constantly. I used to love a drink once in a while, but it's only fun if you can relax and enjoy yourself.

I used to be the typical young adult who was in the pub with my friends at least 5 nights a week. Then I realised that my bank balance was not able to keep up with my drinking habit and neither was my liver. Plus I HATE hangovers with a passion.
What also helped at the time was meeting my DH who very rarely drinks. I think in the 7 years we have been together I have only seen him drink maybe 5 times and even then it is only one or two. I have never seen him drunk.
I did have a pimms the other evening as it was so lovely outside but apart from that, the last time I drank was June last year and the time before that was October 2018.
Don't get me wrong I do like a nice glass of wine but I don't buy any alcohol to drink at home (apart from cheap wine to cook with) as it would go off before I could finish it 😂

I don't drink at all and haven't since I was pregnant with my ds (13) so about 14 years. I used to drink like a fish as I was out all of the time, but because I became pregnant I couldn't drink and found I enjoyed being out more and it was nicer the next day.
When I first stopped everyone used to ask if I was a recovering alcoholic, but now it's never an issue and there are lots of us who don't drink.
When I have friends around they tend to bring non alcoholic stuff or whatever they like to drink, it doesn't bother me. My dc have never seen me drink so think that's the norm, so we'll see what happens as they get older.

I very rarely drink, I had my children close together (4 in 6 years) so didn't really drink because I was either pregnant or had a baby so was too busy too and when I did the hangovers got worse each time and now 6 years later I get such bad hangovers, literally a week long after just a few, which usually start when I'm still drinking!! Also I don't really like the taste of it enough to crave it so unless it's a big night out I don't bother, very very rarely I'll have a drink in the house I've had one beer since Christmas. I wish I liked wine though I love the thought of sitting down at night with a glass of wine!

I was never a very heavy drinker, but I did drink more than I should have at the pub for a few years to try to fit in with my co-workers in a male-dominated industry.

I stopped when I began TTC and then just never really fancied alcohol much afterward. I could have trained myself up to drink again but I'm sure less is better for me, so I haven't bothered.

So for the last 20 years I have had maybe 1-4 drinks per month. On the rare occasion I have more than one drink in an evening, I usually get a bit of a hangover and think "it isn't worth it!"

There was one great positive I remember about drinking in my late teens. I was quite shy and never opened up to people. Drinking alcohol helped me to lose my inhibitions enough to be myself with my friends. Having been open and honest with them while under the influence of alcohol, I was able to continue with that same relaxed attitude later when sober. So it acted as an icebreaker and helped me start friendships. So overall, I would say alcohol has had a beneficial effect on my life.

Don’t drink, never have really.

Drunk people are really hard work and At parties you can literally see relationships fall apart. Sad.

And alcohol breath, rank.

Tastes horribly bitter to me so I rarely touch it. Apparently some people are hypersensitive to the ethanol taste - assume I'm one of them!

I've drunk like a fish since I was 15 apart from my pregnancies.
I haven't had a drink since 1 Feb . I stopped to lose weight and be more healthy. I miss a nice glass of red but I'm willing to carry on and see how long I can abstain. It's been hard during lockdown as I know I use food and booze as a support.
I have lost 45lbs though!

I have a drink maybe once a year/every two years.

I never really have. I’ve been drunk maybe 3 times in my whole life but never to the point I’ve been ill or couldn’t remember what happened.

I don’t like the taste. I don’t like how it makes me feel. It’s expensive.

I’ve never understood why it bothers some people so much that I choose not to. I don’t care if people around me do, but it really, really bothers some people when I turn it down.

I drank at (and before) university- I nearly always just socially with friends but occasionally to ease the stress (alone).

I have alcoholism on both sides of my family as my Dad used to have a problem and my maternal aunt has suffered massively with it so I'm really keen to avoid getting into the habit. Alcohol can be a dangerous drug when used to dull difficult emotions/cope with stress.

I have also suffered with anxiety and depression for years and alcohol is a depressant so makes things worse.

I’m ex-military. It was a point of pride to outlast the men in the bar, keep up with the men on distance runs, and never ever allow women to be seen as weaker. I could drink until 3 or 4am and be at work at 6, bouncing.
I rarely have a drink these days - civilians don’t have the same culture (thankfully), and I spent four years trying to stop an alcoholic friend destroying her life (and failing). The thought of a drink rarely occurs to me tbh.

Haven’t RTFT.

I drive, live 20 miles away from my best friend and parents, take a fuckload of drugs.
Drinking would just be inconvenient.

I do go on holiday and drink there (minus most of the drugs temporarily)

I'm currently tee-total and have been for around 7 years. I'm 30 now.

I started drinking at 12 but only the occasional wkd style drink at parties. Never more than about 2 units in a single night. I drank those as they were they only drink that didn't make me gag - I've never found any alcohol I actually like the taste of. I do like that giggly feeling you get after a drink but the downsides outweigh it for me.

I get the constant feeling like I need to pee, right now. Even if I go the feeling doesn't go away - and it feels so strong like I'm about to wet myself. It's very uncomfortable and I just spend the whole evening running to the loo, waiting for a tiny trickle to come out, and then crossing my legs until I can't bear the feeling anymore, and running back to the loo. Impossible to actually enjoy anything when I can't take my mind off it.

I also take some meds that can react very badly with alcohol and overall, with not liking the taste, the above pee issues, and the risks of serious health issues, I don't see the point in bothering.

I'm ok hanging around with people who are drunk, and OH will have a bottle of wine to himself every couple of months while we cuddle and watch a film. I just don't get any real pleasure from joining in.

I do however like some drugs - I get the "fun" side of things with them without the downsides I get from alcohol. I don't do this on a regular basis though.

I've never drunk alcohol, was never attracted by it and absolutely hate the smell of it.

One thing that's always stuck in my mind was when the off licence in our village caught fire. From then on I wasn't interested in drinking flammable liquids. That's what they are at the end of the day plus the destroyer of people's common sense.

I drank a bit when younger but never really liked it. I never felt that happy feeling everyone else seems to when drunk or tipsy, just a bit sad and sleepy. Plus I have never found a drink I actually like the taste of. So now I don't bother with it.

Spent from aged 18-22ish drunk every weekend.
Then spent a while drinking more sensibly.
Now don't drink at all as I've gone off it!

Not drunk alcohol since 18, too many alcoholics in the family! I thought of it a bit like smoking - if I start maybe I won't be able to stop easily.

I don't choose not to drink I am just not fussed for it.
I do have the occasional drink(like maybe once a year) but I can go for a night out or have a meal or sit in the house in the evening and not need to drink.

DP will have a drink(like one can each time) maybe a couple of times a month. I have started letting DS16 have a small glass of alcopop at special occasions but he isn't really that interested either.

Why is it seen as socially unacceptable to not drink?

"We met a doctor at the counter of a local joint few years ago while having dinner. He said he never drinks, because he saw what it does to one’s body and brain."

I couldn't drink for over a year, because of medication that I was on. I'd said to a few of my top Consultants that I might give it up for good, they reacted with horror and replied" why would you give up alcohol? ".

I'm on a low carb eating plan and post menopausal, so my drinking days are behind me. I tell everyone in their 30's to not waste drinking opportunities, because alcohol isn't your friend after 45.

I was allowed to drink as a teenager at home, which was usual in the 70/80's. Met my husband in my late teens, we got into camping, he didn't drink much, so aside from a Baileys at Christmas and the odd white wine at a friend's house, I didn't drink properly, until I was widowed at 32. I had a good social life and enjoyed drinking. Red, white, rose wine and spirits. Being without young children, i started to enjoy cocktails on holiday. I never had hangovers or the experiences quoted on here. I taught my DD's to know their limits. Which they do, my youngest is 22 and doesn't get into states.

I now have an occasional glass of white moscato wine and it tastes out of this world. Nutritionally we don't need to eat any foods, but I'd miss lots if I vowed to never eat them again.

If I became lactose intolerant/allergic, I'd miss a fish in Blackpool, or ice-cream etc on holiday.

If we were banning foods based on today's knowledge, cerials, sugar and lots of other things would be banned before alcohol.

The people who I know who are functioning alcoholics and some stopped being functioning, all started to drink too much as an after/work/networking thing. Or replaced a drug addiction with alcohol. But that was actually a byproduct of social anxiety/low confidence.

I got drunk once on my 17th birthday, I didn't like the taste, I didn't like the feeling of not being in control and therefore vulnerable, I didn't like how shit I felt for days afterwards.
I have occasionally tried a glass of wine, beer, peach schnapps, cocktail etc throughout my adult life, and honestly prefer a cold glass of pepsi max any day.
So I don't drink.

Alcoholic, sober for nearly 6 years. One drink is too much and at the same time never enough. I think there is a physical component to my reaction to alcohol. I react the same way to sugar, and I have noticed the same with many fellow alcoholics in recovery.

If I can moan, I miss a really good glass of red wine with a nice meal. I miss beer and cigarettes. But they were ruining my health, so there Yu have it.

I wouldn't say "I don't drink", but I'm just not that interested.

I don't really like the taste of wine or beer, so that's the main "social drinks" off the table. I do quite like a cocktail or a G&T, but tend to only have them for "special occasions".

I've had 1 G&T during this lockdown, and prior to that, my last alcohol drink was maybe 2 glasses of prosecco at Christmas.

I don't like to say I'm tee-total, because it's not true, and I'm not opposed to drinking in anyway, I'm just not that interested. I maybe have 5 or 6 alcoholic drinks over a year. Certainly much less than 1 a month.

Just realised I don't really qualify to comment as I do drink very occasionally (so over Christmas and New Year I had a glass of wine on three or four occasions and some disaronno); before that I had a couple of glasses of wine in September but I guess compared to most people that's practically teetotal!