Non-drinkers discussion/rant thread

[OatMatchaLatte]

I think people take it as a moral judgment on their own drinking if you say you don't drink. It's not, you do you, and I'll do me, thanks.
I do find it tedious being around drunk people, and I don't think any of it is "fun". My dad is a recovering alcoholic, and saw the impact it has on the person and the people around them, and frankly it stripped away all of the appeal.
I do think that it's the only drug that if you abstain from it, people assume you have had a problem with it, though.

 

[ClockworkDolly]

I work in retail and the amount of alcohol we sell early in the morning before 9am is actually quite eye opening, we have home orders for bottles of vodka virtually every day again early in the morning I definitely think this country has a problem with alcohol and it seems to be a badge of honour to go out and get drunk
You can't advertise cigarettes and you can't stock sweets/crisps/unhealthy snacks within so many meters of the tills but there is no such laws for alcohol which I find puzzling

It doesn’t help when you have all these people on social media advertising “wine o’clock” I don’t really get the mentality. It is as though they elevate themselves in the social pecking order, see who can drink the most, to gain popularity.

Like you say, a badge of honour.

 

[Suzesnooze]

I drank before I had kids but stopped once I had them as couldn’t cope with a hangover and toddlers. People are so offended if you don’t drink and call you boring. I don’t need alcohol to have a good time. My dad was a big drinker and always tried to force drink on me and the rest of our family. He really believed I couldn’t be having a good time without alcohol.

I had someone else say they don’t trust people who don’t drink

 

[Elle Woods]

I have never really been a drinker, I think I got drunk maybe a handful of times when I was 18 and it felt like “the thing” to do but I’m now late 20s and just don’t drink at all. My partner doesn’t drink either. I just don’t enjoy the taste at all and I absolutely hate the feeling of losing control and being under the influence, for me, it’s not enjoyable.

I also feel really uncomfortable when I am around heavily drunk people. Especially when it’s someone I know well, who suddenly isn’t behaving like themselves. I think that stems from coming from a family of big drinkers.

I do always find it frustrating when people automatically assume you won’t want to come somewhere just because you don’t drink. I’m teetotal, not a hermit.

 

[ClockworkDolly]

I drank before I had kids but stopped once I had them as couldn’t cope with a hangover and toddlers. People are so offended if you don’t drink and call you boring. I don’t need alcohol to have a good time. My dad was a big drinker and always tried to force drink on me and the rest of our family. He really believed I couldn’t be having a good time without alcohol.

I had someone else say they don’t trust people who don’t drink

I too have heard that line many times over the years.

 

[Tangent Tiger]

I can't drink because of health reasons either but don't get any hassle because of it, perhaps because I'm older?

It's really juvenile and stupid of them (not trying to say you're juvenile!). People should respect that you're not drinking. You have to respect other people's decisions.

 

[DipsyDoodle]

Does anyone else get really pissed off at how much places charge for soft drinks? My girlfriend and I love live music and we're always out at gigs, but don't always bother getting a drink when we're there as the prices are so high. Last year we went to see a comedian and I went to get a Diet Coke, what they served me was not Coke, it was a generic cola flavoured carbonated drink and then when we went to the loo in the venue afterwards there was a poster advertising some of their drinks, and it was actually cheaper to get a pint of cider than what I'd paid for my fake Coke

 

[Suzesnooze]

Does anyone else get really pissed off at how much places charge for soft drinks? My girlfriend and I love live music and we're always out at gigs, but don't always bother getting a drink when we're there as the prices are so high. Last year we went to see a comedian and I went to get a Diet Coke, what they served me was not Coke, it was a generic cola flavoured carbonated drink and then when we went to the loo in the venue afterwards there was a poster advertising some of their drinks, and it was actually cheaper to get a pint of cider than what I'd paid for my fake Coke

They’re expensive but I don’t like soft drinks. I just drink tap water! I’m a cheap date!

 

[DipsyDoodle]

They’re expensive but I don’t like soft drinks. I just drink tap water! I’m a cheap date!

I love a nice Diet Coke, but usually have a tap water too

 

[Elle898]

I haven’t drunk for over 2 years now, I’ve been invited to 2 different brunches for friends birthdays, one of the brunches is £45 for one course and unlimited processco for 2 hours, when I enquired about just buying a ticket for food no booze I was told that doesn’t exist and my only option is to buy a £12 ticket that doesn’t include anything just entry but I won’t be able to get into the venue until after 2pm when all my fiends are allowed to be in there from 12pm! How outrageous is that! I refused to pay £45 for a crappy burger, The other brunch I’m going to is £65 for 3 hours and that’s for booze or mocktails! So I have to pay the same as everyone else for mocktails it’s so unbelievable!

 

[OatMatchaLatte]

Does anyone else get really pissed off at how much places charge for soft drinks? My girlfriend and I love live music and we're always out at gigs, but don't always bother getting a drink when we're there as the prices are so high. Last year we went to see a comedian and I went to get a Diet Coke, what they served me was not Coke, it was a generic cola flavoured carbonated drink and then when we went to the loo in the venue afterwards there was a poster advertising some of their drinks, and it was actually cheaper to get a pint of cider than what I'd paid for my fake Coke

It’s the same with tea! I only drink coffee in the morning, so if I’m out in the afternoon at a cafe I used to just get a peppermint tea or something, you end up paying £3 for a mug of hot water with a tea bag! I always get a decaf coffee now, same price but at least some more ingredientsand effort have gone into it.

 

[Suzesnooze]

It’s the same with tea! I only drink coffee in the morning, so if I’m out in the afternoon at a cafe I used to just get a peppermint tea or something, you end up paying £3 for a mug of hot water with a tea bag! I always get a decaf coffee now, same price but at least some more ingredientsand effort have gone into it.

I agree with this as I’m the same. Just have a morning coffee then drink water or peppermint tea. I could buy a box of 20 peppermint tea bags for less than cafes charge for one bag!

 

[angelfizz]

I stopped 3 years ago, I can no longer drink due to health issues and to be honest I don’t miss it one bit. The only thing that irks me is that people often assume I’m an ex- alcoholic, which I’m not, and often ask me “why I don’t drink”. I never really drank much anyway, I can’t cope with the hangovers mine seemed to last a week