Topic: Life as a non drinker!

[Helsinki Red]

I get the same when people find out I'm vegan.

Why would you do something like that to yourself?

[Doogie]

I used to drink at uni, then after one night of drinking cider and black and throwing up in front of my parents and their friends I decided enough was enough. That was 10 years ago, haven't drunk since.

Don't miss it.

But yeah I get looks too, when people ask what you want, and you say "a lemonade". I've managed to get round it by being the designated driver, that excuse works well. But you're right, why should I have to justify the fact I don't want a drink.

[R1col]

Can take it or leave it really, not had a beer in a year now, but cant say i wont have one again, so dont put myself in the non drinker bracket.

[Snoopy29]

whats wrong with not drinking. We ant not ynesyde fools like ashley whatever his name is, and now look where newcastle are at...

[Ken-Obi]

I don't drink and I get those annoying "Why?" questions as well.

[Garstonite]

For every person that says they are a vegetarian, I donate my time and health by eating twice as much meat.

[Dr Cornwallis]

Its a right old pain sometimes, obviously when you are out on the town or at some wedding, party etc.

I've never really drank, tried it when I was younger, didn't like it so decided I didn't want to do it. There were a multitude of other reasons so it wasn't a rash decision but I am very tired of trying to justify this when I am out, it usually starts with,

"what are you having"

"cheers mate but I am ok"

"no really, what are you having"

"I don't drink so no thanks!"

I usually get two reactions after this remark,

"why?" and a look as if sometime is wrong with me, sorry but f**k right off, I am not about to point out the reasons why I dont drink on a night out.

or more often then not I get the guy extending his hand saying "wow, thats brilliant fair play". I don't really get this reaction, I don't consider it a big deal, its not like people show the same reaction to a non smoker or non recreational drug taker (both of which I have never done)

I am only 23 and Irish so some of the reactions can be expected when a culture is so obsessed by alcohol.

All the questions put you right on the defensive like you have done something wrong. Really annoys me and puts me off going out most of the time.

Big girl, you probably stand outside the pub and cough when a smoker lights up as well.

[CheshireDave]

For every person that says they are a vegetarian, I donate my time and health by eating twice as much meat.

Hear hear.

Just yesterday we had a BBQ for my brothers Birthday and I must have eaten half a cow and half a pig. Big steak, 6 or 7 sausages, 3 beef burgers and a chicken breast. I did have some vegetables though (tomato sauce).

I could never give up meat.

My brother tried to once cos he wanted to pull this girl. It just made him ill and he had no where near the energy needed to keep up with what he wanted to do at the gym.

[Elli]

Standing around drinking water while me mates got more and more incoherent and annoying. Rarely enjoyed it and couldn't wait to get home.

Do you realise what twats your mates are being when you're the only one sobber

I realised that all my friends are actually wankers

I took my car and decided to taxi my drunken friends home, big mistake

I had puke down the left hand side of the car like a 3d racing stripe, a collapsed passenger side window
Chicken Ball Special in my seat pockets and 30 minutes of complete and utter bullshit to contend with.

the satisfaction I get from watching all my mates rolling in their own vomit

Does anyone else think this is the problem? It has to either be teetotal or utterly incoherently bladdered with no middle ground?

Seems to me it's a good thing to have friends who can handle drinking in moderation and don't need to be completely wasted to tolerate each other's company...

[Zaffarious]

I get the same when people find out I'm vegan.

Now thats just crazy

[Zaffarious]

Wow, so how you lot are feeling right now is the best your ever going to feel, hahahahaha.

Nope, sad though it shows your dependence on alcohol to "feel better". hahahahah

[Roady]

nothing wrong with people not drinking each to their own.But some of the comments on here are stupid.Mates rolling around in their own vomit etc,id suggest your mates cant handle their ale.I like a good drink, i find it relaxes me and i look forward to it.yes i do get completely wasted sometimes, just this weekend in fact at a wedding but not all the time.I can safely say all the lads i hang out with dont drink to the point of vomiting etc,its a social thing.i enjoy it.Its nice to have a bevvy at weekends,i dont drink too excessively. its nice to get battered once in a while with mates.
each to their own cant say i would question anyone who doesnt drink i think id simply think to myself "happy days, slightly cheaper round"

[donut]

Does anyone else think this is the problem? It has to either be teetotal or utterly incoherently bladdered with no middle ground?

Seems to me it's a good thing to have friends who can handle drinking in moderation and don't need to be completely wasted to tolerate each other's company...

Completely agree. As far as drinking goes I can take it or leave it. It's ok, nothing special.

And I have to be in the right mood otherwise I won't enjoy it at all.

[aliverbirduponmychest]

I only drink on special occasions. Like Fridays and Saturdays. The occasional Sunday. Sometimes even Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Never Thursday. Well, every so often maybe a Thursday.

I'm the same mate! Only special occasions.

[rowan_d]

Does anyone else think this is the problem? It has to either be teetotal or utterly incoherently bladdered with no middle ground?

Seems to me it's a good thing to have friends who can handle drinking in moderation and don't need to be completely wasted to tolerate each other's company...

One of the things is that the vast majority of alcohol tastes foul, and the most of the ones that taste nice are considered 'girls drinks.' eg WKD.

When people talk about alcohol tasting nice, it often seems to be in relation to other alcohol rather than drinks as a whole. So basically, when my friends say they like the taste of Strongbow, what they mean is that it tastes less disgusting than other cider.

[grimreaper]

what they mean is that it tastes less disgusting than other cider.

Don't talk wet

[CheshireDave]

WKD's adverts make me laugh. They desperately try and make it macho with all the practical joke and funny themes.

But really you got to ask yourselves a few questions if you enjoy sitting in a busy pub with 3 'macho' mates drinking blue WKD.

[macca888]

I've got a medical condition that means I'm not allowed to drink, and the worst thing is, they took my driving license too because of it, so I can't even be a taxi for my mates or my missus. At first, I thought it was one of those situations where the doc really meant just drink in moderation because of the effect of the tablets, but he was deadly serious about completely no alcohol. The side effects of ale with these tablets is fucking horrendous. 8 years now and it still fucking annoys me, but it's not worth the risks to drink. But no ale, I can live with. Tell me to pack in smoking, I could probably just about do that too. If they told me that I wasn't allowed to shag any more, I'd be straight off the top of the flats on Netherfield Road. The thing I do when we're out is just take the piss out of everyone anyway, and I've never needed to be pissed to do that. Crack cocaine people - it's the future. Fair play to anyone who does it out of choice though. They should be applauded for completely accepting and embracing the fact that they are miserable cunts!

[rowan_d]

. They should be applauded for completely accepting and embracing the fact that they are miserable cunts!

You see, its exactly that attitude that annoys us non-drinkers. You alcoholics seem to think of us as stone-faced prudes, when just the other week I had a rather splendid game of bowls, and there was much merriment all round.

[Mouth]

just the other week I had a rather splendid game of bowls, and there was much merriment all round.

How very church of England.

[Roughie Scouse]

I don't trust tee-totalers (unless through a medical condition) vegetarians or people who say they don't like football...


 

love it

[kesey]

Iam a weekend drinker.

I start on Sundays and end on Saturdays.

[wacko]

One of the things is that the vast majority of alcohol tastes foul, and the most of the ones that taste nice are considered 'girls drinks.' eg WKD.

When people talk about alcohol tasting nice, it often seems to be in relation to other alcohol rather than drinks as a whole. So basically, when my friends say they like the taste of Strongbow, what they mean is that it tastes less disgusting than other cider.

Common alcoholic drinks like beer and wine are acquired tastes. I've still not developed a taste for better-quality (more flavourful) wines.

I don't see any image problem with "girls' drinks", but then I don't live in England with the constant exhortations to "stop being such a poof and neck it."

Britain has an insane drinking culture. There's a great article about it at the Economist. It's about Scotland, but the cultural aspects apply to all of the UK and Ireland. Basically, Brits drink with the intensity of Scandinavians (till they fall over) AND the frequency of Mediterranean types.

My favourite bit was the observation that Germans admit to drinking about 50% of the amount that actual sales of alcohol suggest they do. Brits own up to 96%!!!

[Rusty]

I did a spell off the booze for about a month earlier this year - partly for health reasons and partly to prove to myself that I can still do it (I usually do something like that about once a year).

On the whole I got a fair amount of people saying "Nice one, I should probably do that too", there was the inevitable "Oooh you soft twat" from the guys at footy but thats to be expected and I didn't take it to heart. Not sure what the response would be if I said I was off the grog forever though.

As an aside, I bought a flat and moved in recently, and found out that my new upstairs neighbour is teetotal in quite an awkward way. I've been renovating the bathroom, which has been pretty noisy at times, and he complained one Sunday evening. So I wrote a note saying "yeah I know its loud, sorry, here's a bottle of wine and no hard feelings" kind of thing. Next time I saw him I asked him if he enjoyed it, he said "Oh I gave it away. I can't drink now as I have liver schlerosis from drinking too much when I was younger"

D'oh!

[Martyn.]

Non-alcoholics = miseries

[♠Dirty Harry♠]

Does anyone else think this is the problem? It has to either be teetotal or utterly incoherently bladdered with no middle ground?

Seems to me it's a good thing to have friends who can handle drinking in moderation and don't need to be completely wasted to tolerate each other's company...

Well since then I have cut down on my drinking frequency, but still have to get the knack of moderation, I can do it sometimes but I just feel that because there is very fucking little buzz these days when I'm out (having a girlfriend and living in a small town makes for a very idle mind).

I know it sounds terrible but half the time I get blitzed it's because I'm fucking bored with fuck all else to do, I usually find that when I am out with larger crowds and with more going on I tend to find it easier to moderate my drinking.

It is something that bothers me when I get fucking blackouts and sleep when drinking, but it also bothers me that If I don't do something at the weekend then the weeks roll into each other and I don't get a 'pat on the back' from myself for a hard weeks work.

I know that a lot on here will say, get a hobby or the likes but it's difficult when there not much on offer. Even trying to organise a game of indoor footy is a hassle because some friends have children, others work shifts and some just can't be fucking bothered.

[Morientes-19]

Same here mate, dont drink. Find the whole drinking culture ridiculous. I mean do we all really have to intoxicate our bodies to have a good time? Its silly really.

The stuff doesnt even taste nice, i really dont get it.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks that way.

[Welshred]

I rarely drink, and I rarely go out really, but when I do I'll not shy away from having a drink and like drinking. I only really drink a lot during the summer anyway, it's too tough refereeing a football match with a hangover in the winter that my mark's would suffer if I was being assessed

[AndrewFitz22]

I havn't drank in 5 weeks now...I want to cut it down and when I do drink its only a few and not a few too many which has been the case for a while now..

Its nice to wake up with a clear head...

[AndyInVA]

My favourite bit was the observation that Germans admit to drinking about 50% of the amount that actual sales of alcohol suggest they do. Brits own up to 96%!!!

Thats because they are proud, not ashamed

I always loved the Viz letter one time,

some people think its not big and clever to drink alchohol

I'm 6'-6" and drink eight pints a night and I'm professor of astro physics at Manchester University

LOVE IT

[Xabity]

I'm thinking of cutting out alcohol for the summer at least to see how it goes. Up until the last 6 months or so i would be able to handle me drink just fine but recently I have been blacking out after drinking what i used to drink normally without any trouble. I think its one of the worst feelings when you can't remember chunks of the night.

So I'm giving up for as long as i can. I know a few non drinkers who get a bit of stick over it which i dont understand, no real need to bring attention to it, you either drink or you dont, dont see it as that big of a deal

[Pheeny]

Frank Sinatra said “I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day.”

[Garstonite]

Frank Sinatra said “I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day.”

For people who drink, when they wake up in the morning, that's as BAD as they're going to feel all day.

[And Could He Play]

Frank Sinatra said “I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day.”

Brilliant quote, went to watch the Rat Pack in town a while back and they came out with that belter.

[Ziltoid]

I'm a secret lemonade drinker

[mickdundee]

There are 24 beers in a carton and 24 hours in a day. Coincidence? i think not.

[Rusty]

As mentioned a little while ago in this thread from time to time i have a spell off the booze, mainly to remind myself that I can do it - decided a couple of weeks ago that I had nothing on for the next 3 weeks so would forego all booze in that period.

I am glad to say it hasn't made getting up in the morning much easier, though I have dropped a couple of kilos to 70.5, usually I am 72.5, happy days.

I would love to say I don't miss it but I definitely did miss coming home after a hard day's work and having a glass of wine with dinner, so far on the weekends I havent missed it, went out to the footy last Friday night (on my own to be fair) but didnt drink there. Tonight I'm going as well, no booze then either... next weekend I'm off the hook, definitely looking forward to it!

[mickdundee]

I like a drink, but the doc told me to cut down to one a day.

[Lady_brandybuck]

I don't drink either, also get the same reactions... But I justify it because I have zero tolerance to alcohol... 1 beer and I'm out!

A friend of mine said she is going to teach me so when I travel to other countries, I won't pass out at the first try.

I still don't see the point of doing it, I don't like the taste of it, it makes me sick. I enjoy the same and sometimes even more than my friends when we go out

[Col]

I rarely drink these days... I've been smashed maybe 3 times this year. That's not to say I don't enjoy a beer every now and then, or don't have the odd blow-out, but I think I've grown out of the whole "getting drunk because it's cool" phase.

I can happily have a night out and not drink, or have 2 or 3 beers and call it a day, whereas I know a lot of people who won't go out of the house unless it's to go to the pub to get trolleyed, which I find a bit depressing really.