Best excuses for not drinking

[fidget223]

Hi all,
I have very recently found out I'm pregnant (4 weeks) so we are not telling anyone at the moment. I'm really excited and after we've been trying for a quite a while, I want to sing it from the rooftops to be honest but know that's not sensible 😂.
We have a few family and other parties coming up (as well as Christmas!) and I just wondered what peoples best excuses have been for not drinking? It will be out of character for me not to have a drink so want to think ahead of what to say. I'm especially worried about a get together this weekend with DH's family: sister in law is VERY much the type to ask if I'm pregnant if I don't have a good excuse 🙄 thank you in advance ☺️

Another saying pretend. Get your partner to help too, so if SIL makes a drink, get your partner to drink some without drawing attention to it. Take it to the bathroom.

A trick from when I was at slimming world, you can get gin flavouring for cakes. Some of the ladies would swear by rubbing the flavouring around the edge of the glass to make them feel like they were having a gin (I didn’t, I’d just have the gin). However, it is apparently good for making a regular tonic smell like G&T, so if someone accidentally picks up your glass it shouldn’t give you away.

I feel like all the cliches of being the driver or being on anti biotics don’t fool anyone. You should feign a hangover from the night before 😂

I found out I'm pregnant last weekend and luckily I was driving, and I was on antibiotics so both of these were genuine real reasons (if not the actual main reason).

Last pregnancy I had a bottle of non-alcoholic wine at a family do, hidden under the table, and in a pub a couple of time non-alcoholic fruit cider which I poured into a glass at the bar. I think I even once asked the bartender to make my drink look alcoholic .

We told family at 8 weeks last time following a private scan, and will do the same again this time as I won't get through Christmas without someone guessing!

I told everyone I was pregnant when I tested positive. If something went wrong I'd have wanted their support. I did take non alcoholic gin to a bbq and it was noted straight away

Just say some excuse like you are on a health kick/ on antibiotics/ anything that other posters have suggested.

You can't stop people speculating and making assumptions, but you don't have to tell them anything.

'Just say some excuse like you are on a health kick/ on antibiotics/ anything that other posters have suggested.'

I'm sorry but who goes on a health kick/diet just before Xmas..? You will be the centre of attention if you announce that at a party.

I always just pretend to drink. I used to be the party gal and all the people I've surrounded myself with seem to be boozers too. Here are my top tips:

1. Accept the drink - ensure it's a clear liquid. Discard at a sink and replace with water. Be careful to reserve the ice and garnish.

1. When discard is impossible.... nurse it. "God I'm so hungover from last night. I can't keep up with you all today." Ditch the drink after an hour and repeat.

1. Get the same drink as your DH and swap your full glass for his empty. This one is particularly useful at the table when it's wine.

1. "I can't do shots, I have really REALLY heart burn"

The wonderful thing about people is they usually don't give a shit what anyone else is up to. As long as you're discrete, they won't notice a thing.

And CONGRATS!!

Pretty much everything you try is going to make a sizeable number of people guess. Most will play along with you and pretend not to notice. I've done that before to be polite whilst quietly finding the whole charade a bit silly.

Couldn't be arsed pretending myself. People mostly notice but rarely ask. I went for a policy of don't tell but don't lie. So if anyone asked why I wasn't drinking I told them and if they didn't ask I didn't volunteer the info. Pretty sure that meant people all guessed or were told about the same time they would have done had I either broadcast it to the world or pretended to be on antibiotics. It makes no odds.