To become teetotal for this reason?

[DuckDuckGoose1984]

I’ve never had an issue or bad relationship with drinking alcohol. I don’t drink frequently and never on my own.

But when I do, I’ll have one or two pints. I never feel particularly tipsy and never drink too much. However, I always have a banging headache the next morning! No matter how many I’ve had.
I went out with work last night and I had just one pint of cider. Coincidence maybe but I have a pounding headache this morning. I don’t feel hungover or sick. I drunk a pint of water before bed as well.

This is the only issue I have.

I think I could go teetotal, but I do like having the odd drink at occasions and I feel I would miss it. I also feel a bit dramatic giving it up completely when I don’t drink much anyway.

Has anyone else done this?

I do t drink because it makes me feel awful. I've never declared myself to be teetotal, or even a non drinker. I just don't drink.

The only people who have ever questioned it are people who seem to have unhealthy relationships with alcohol themselves.

CadyEastman · Today 08:14
DH has given up for the same reason. We think he's allergic to the Sulphites”

Was wondering if OP might be allergic.

I think it is quite common for people to feel worse drinking one type of alcohol than another and probably comes down to the additional stuff that is in it.

Red wine, dark beers like bitter and guiness always give me far worse hangovers than g&t, white wine and lager.

Try changing your drink type, and always remember the glass of water before sleep trick which helps combat the dehydration.

Red wine gives me a banging headache too, not so much next day but there and then! So I don't drink red wine ever. I did have somebody suggesting I have some at a dinner but I said about the headache and they stopped pushing it immediately. Sometimes I'll have soft drinks instead and nobody has ever said anything about having a "proper" drink. But like others I've noticed that people are more likely to encourage you to drink alcohol if they are, "we'll share a bottle" kind of thing. I've ended up having more than I wanted to in that scenario, and I don't sleep well if I've had a bit much (which is more than one large glass these days).

There's plenty of alcohol free drinks around, it should be easy enough to avoid drinking alcohol if you don't want to. I think we should stop being a bit apologetic about it when we make excuses. A simple "Nah, doesn't agree with me" should be fine.

I feel sick after drinking alcohol, even in the smallest amount, so I don't drink. It's no big deal. I don't consider myself teetotal, I just prefer not to drink.

I do drink but not at work events. I'm always a designated driver so that makes me popular and nobody questions you about not drinking if you are driving.

I grew out of drinking many many years ago and just went off it, I hate the smell. No one normally says a word but last year someone tried to pressure me to drink and I was quite shocked as it's so uncommon for people to comment these days.

If it makes you feel bad don't drink it, no need for drama.

However you mention pints. Do you drink beer? I find mainstream lagers (Stella, Fosters, Budweiser etc..) are shocking for headaches. They are the alcohol version of UPFs. Try some lowish volume craft pale ales and see of that makes a diffference.

I think thats very wise. Having made an absolute fool of myself at a work do many years ago I now never drink at work events. Never again. It was awful.
I drive too so that usually shuts them up

In your situation what's the point in being teetotal?

You don't drink often, it causes you minor trouble when you do, so you don't. But sometimes you want to, so you do.

Seems perfectly reasonable to me

Any reason is a valid reason!

And nowadays, being teetotal is so much more common it’s easier than ever IMO.

This is exactly why I ‘don’t drink’, inverted commas because I do drink but maybe 3 times a year, never wine, never beer. And some years I maybe have 2 gin and tonics all year. Any alcohol gives me a hangover (although I’ve never tested how little would) so it’s mostly not worth it. The only time it comes up if is someone who has never seen me drink sees me drink, occasionally you can tell they worry I’m an alcoholic having a relapse but after years everyone is used to it now.

also I do have lots to drink sometimes to (maybe twice in 10 years) and the hangover is the same. It’s not a moral judgement anymore that not eating dairy cause your lactose intolerant is.

You don't ever need to justify wanting to give up alcohol - it's never unreasonable to make that choice.

Some people are much more sensitive to alcohol than others. A family friend of ours when I was a teenager developed a horrible reaction to it in his 50s; he started to get blocked nose and awful headaches from any alcoholic drink at all - it would kick in very quickly too, within the hour.

I’m finding this with wine too. I can manage one small glass but anything more makes me feel really horrible the next day. I’m barely drinking now but when I do gin and vodka doesn’t have the same affect at all

Nearly 40 and feel shit in the morning whether I've had a drink the night before or not. So disappointing.

I'd just enjoy the odd pint of cider and take the consequences

Experiment with different types of alcohol, including sulphite free. It's likely something like that you are intolerant of.
Of course you can give up for whatever reason you like! But if you do want an occasional drink I'd be tempted to get to the bottom of the issue.

No drama needed. Just stop drinking alcohol.

I did exactly this several years ago, and for similar reasons - it made me feel crap. I did no make a big deal of it - just chose alcohol free drinks when out. Job done. No problem.

My husband gets this. Even if he just has a pint it gives him the worst head ache the following day. He has pretty much stopped drinking. He'll occasionally have a glass of wine at lunch time at the weekend with a Sunday roast as drinking earlier tends not to result in headaches but in the evening he just has non alcoholic beer. There's lots of varieties now and pretty good on taste he says.