Help needed in social events involving alcohol without revealing pregnancy

[Bootsalex]

Hi,
I've just found out I'm 3-4 weeks pregnant which is excellent but I'm concerned now as I've got so many social events between now and the 12 weeks scan! Most of the things will involve booze, and without making me sound like a total wino, my friends will suspect if I don't have a proper reason for not drinking!
I'm happy to tell my closest friends the truth but I'm with many others who I don't feel comfortable telling yet, until I know I'm a bit further on as I'm nervous in early stages.
Does anyone have any tried and tested "excuses" that I can borrow?!

[Bootsalex]

Thank you so much for all your help/advice/suggestions! Fingers crossed it will go ok! :)

[libstar]

Pre summer detox, I was so sick that avoiding people wasn't an issue, also alcohol free lager and buying lime and soda and telling people there's vodka in it.

[sharon2016]

I'm 10 weeks pregnant and have had the same problem. Me and my friends always meet for drinks after work, at nice wine bars and things. The first day I ordered an orange juice I lied and said I was driving. I could tell they guessed straight away. And now so many weeks down the line they have totally guessed as one straight out asked me if I was pregnant.

Do your best to cover it up, but I wouldn't worry too much if they guess. Its your business to tell them when you are ready to, and until then they can keep guessing! So don't feel any pressure to tell up huge lies as to why you are ordering an orange juice!

[MGC1986]

If you're happy to tell a close friend, which you've said you are, get her on board to drink your alcohol. Get her to order a soft drink when you get alcohol and switch.

[FishWithABicycle]

Dilute apple juice just right and it looks like white wine. Dilute it with fizzy water and it looks like champagne. Get a litre waterbottle and make a batch at home. Coat with large pockets or big shoulder bag containing this and an empty spare bottle. If someone insists on getting you a drink you can empty it into the spare bottle and refill with apple juice.

[underrugsswept]

Cystitis is a great one. I'm stealing that!

[underrugsswept]

Antibiotics
Hungover
Tummy bug
Waiting to find out if you're pregnant (can only really use that with certain people and once though!)

[kiwiblue]

I agree with getting non alcoholic drinks and no one noticing. People are too wrapped up in what they're doing to be suspicious of what looks like an alcoholic drink. Something I've been doing a lot is to order a mocktail, as everyone just assumes it's a cocktail. Last night I had a Virgin mojito and everyone thought it was the real thing.

Getting your DH or a friend to double drink works well as someone else said. I was at a dinner last night where they brought prosecco to the table for everyone. I took one and then DH proceeded to drink both mine and his and i would periodically switch the glasses so it looked like i was drinking it. No one suspected a thing! I think if you make excuses it looks more suspicious.

[Bootsalex]

Ooooo cystitis! I like that one!! haha thanks!

[notagiraffe]

And congratulations btw!

[notagiraffe]

Can you just pretend you are having a dry month as a bet with your OH, or something similar? We did dry January then I was dry for Lent too. It is quite easy to pretend you've just given up alcohol for a while as a challenge.

[positivity123]

I did a lot of faking it and people really don't notice.
When people did notice I quietly told the person who had asked that we were about to start ttc so on a health kick and not to tell anyone as we were keeping it quiet

[Thelittleredhead]

I went out on what was intended to be a boozy night out with 3 girlfriends when I was 5 weeks. I told them I'd had cystitis and didn't want to make it worse by drinking. It's not an excuse I'd use with guy friends, but most women know the pain, and no-one wants to ask too many questions about it. It worked a treat!

[skankingpiglet]

I recently went out for a big birthday dinner with our close friends. Only the singleton woman was drinking. Everyone knows I'm pregnant already, so no surprises there, but the other 3 non-drinkers all said they were on a health drive whilst TTC, we all know everyone is trying. Turns out one was on a health kick and 2 are/were pregnant. I stupidly didn't suspect for a minute even one might be pregnant (they've all been trying for a while now and are getting 'serious' about making it happen).
TBH if they are good friends, I'd just tell them as I'm guessing you would want to tell them if something went wrong?
As an extra trick I used when at events that weren't just close friends, ginger ale looks good in a wine glass (a buttery white wine), but usually I just said it was my turn to be the designated driver.

[fiddlesticks123]

I'd also throw 'insane hangover from mental night last night' in there for good measure. I'm 9 weeks now and am also not a sober wallflower at parties - so far I've had to deal with two big nights out and a hen do! I used the crazy hangover excuse for both nights out (each was with a different group of friends so worked well) then for the hen do I said I was having a few exploratory blood tests with the docs and they asked me to steer clear of alcohol in between. I felt shitty for making up a story about the docs but it worked well!

[Bootsalex]

Thanks everyone, great advice here :) feeling a bit more prepared for it! Think I'm going to have to enlist a wingman!x

[LillianFullStop]

Faking it with non alcoholic drinks is the easiest and most people won't even blink an eyelid. Bartender can make you a tonic with lime to pass as a G&T. If someone buys you one you can just hold it and pretend to drink.

Can you tell one person to at least be a 'wing-man' to help cover for you? Had to do that for a friend a couple of years ago at a wedding and I ended up taking a shot of tequila for her when no one was looking!

[StarkyTheDirewolf]

Ive been substituting drinks, had to do an epicly quick switcheroo of rose wine which my dm had pre poured for a summer berries and lemonade cordial! Nobody knew the difference, even my Dh looked at me like and then sipped it to see what I'd done!

I've used mouth ulcers as an excuse too. In fairness I've had some terrible ones but pretending they're at the back/side of your mouth and anything alcoholic is exacerbating the pain/stopping them healing.

And at the minute I'm using vicks vapour rub on my temples I can't stop sniffing it, it's like crack so I stink of menthol and everybody assumes I've got a cold and therefore dont fancy a drink.

[Thisismyfirsttime]

Take the initially offered glass of wine/ whatever but say you have a bit of a headache/ toothache etc so don't want any more because of headache/ painkiller for tooth before bed. They both give you the option of going to bed earlier than the people who are drinking heavily too.

[FortyFacedFuckers]

I agree with the people who have said pretend to drink. Try to buy your own drinks and pretend it's vodka or whatever/ take a glass of wine if in a group and tip some out/ nurse it all night no one will notice by the time they have had a few drinks. My friend at work was pregnant and no one knew and we had a work night out so every drink she got I drank it as well as mine, I would drink some then switch the glasses so that it looked like both were being drunk nobody noticed even although I ended up hammered.

[freshprincess]

Can you come down with food poisoning the day before so need to 'take it easy'.

[RaeSkywalker]

I did a few things- drove, bought my own drinks, said I'd had a nasty virus and was still feeling a bit ropey...

[emwithme]

Is there one friend who you can tell who will help? They can drink your alcohol and/or assist in the substitution/subterfuge.

[Sophia1984]

I was in the early stages of pregnancy over Christmas and successfully hid it from family by making my own drinks and pretending there was alcohol in when it was just tonic and accepting glasses of wine, then going to loo and pouring them down it!

[LadyFarnborough]

I've just taken the option of dropping right off the radar and not getting in touch with anyone to make any plans. I'll probably have no friends left by the end of it but I won't be going out with a new baby anyway