Every time I say I’m not drinking alcohol, people give me such a hard time.
They first give me incredulous looks like: WHAT???? Never??? Not even ONE GLASS?
It is like if I don’t drink, I’m a freak. To be normal, you have to imbibe a little.
I have had this reaction from pretty much 99% of people who have been put into a social alcohol-friendly situation with me from lunches to dinners to any event in and everywhere between.
If I don’t drink, there is also nothing TO drink. I can’t even take virgin cocktails or drinks because I’ve realized that the syrup for those things has a bit of alcohol in it!!!! Can you believe this?
I asked for a virgin mojito thinking I was safe, and I ended up feeling sick after one drink.
Look, what if I was a secret recovering alcoholic?
Wouldn’t that just be sort of goddamn rude to not take my alcoholism into account and to embarrass me into admitting to a large party I was a drunkard and am sober now after trying to get clean???
RUDE.
Then they ask me if it is a religious thing.
Again, NO.
I’m not religious and I don’t need religion to tell me that drinking doesn’t make me feel good.
Point blank, alcohol makes me nauseous, dizzy, I don’t feel good after I drink, I just feel SICK. Who wants to do that just to fit in? I’d rather feel good and not fit in.
Then they ask me if I will drink just a little.
This, is for them, not for me.
I don’t know what guilt people feel about drinking alcohol or what, but I have long learned it is a reflection of them more than of me.
I don’t need to drink to be funny, interesting, talkative and happy.
But maybe.. they do?
The last, is a twisted social game to try and force any bit of alcohol into me. It is wheedling, guilt tripping and otherwise a lot of goddamn hassle to the point where I have such a distaste for going out and going to bars with people who invite me.
There is no safe level of alcohol either
Hate to burst all of your bubbles but even one glass of wine a day is not healthy according to this study.
There is NO safe level of alcohol.
“Our findings are consistent with other recent research, which found clear and convincing correlations between drinking and premature death, cancer, and cardiovascular problems. Zero alcohol consumption minimizes the overall risk of health loss.”
Even better. I’m glad I don’t like to drink.
So what do I do?
I say that I am allergic to alcohol (not a total lie but I won’t die from it per se), and/or I take a drink that looks like alcohol but add a lime to the top of the glass to make it look authentic.
Or, I make myself the designated driver all the time. I pretend it is for the others not for me (but that isn’t fun either).
Unfortunately this is what I have to do to fend off all offers of alcohol (surprisingly frequent).
The next time someone says: no thanks, I’m not drinking.. leave them the eff alone.
