What's wrong with the phrase "I don't drink"?

[noclevername]

Seriously. I don’t drink. I don’t have anything against it, I just don’t like it. I don’t like the way it tastes, I don’t like the way it makes me feel. And even one glass of wine will really upset my stomach so it’s best if I just don’t drink so I don’t. It’s amazing how much money I save too.

But why do I seem to be the odd ball. I get funny looks while I drink my water at a cocktail party. My parents talked to me the other day and were asking if I got drunk with my sisters the other weekend. When I reminded them that I don’t drink they say, “oh yeah, you’re that child of ours”. So I’m even getting it from my parents.

Now, I am a strong person and no one can sway me to do something I don’t want to do. I just wish I could come up with something clever to say when I am being made fun of for my lack of alcohol appreciation or when my sister is trying to hand me a glass wine knowing I don’t want it.

And in case you are wondering, I am almost 40 years old, I’m not a teenager or in my 20’s. I’ve been dealing with this for a long long time but I’m just now getting really sick of it for some reason.

 

[HappyRevert]

You may have an alcohol allergy. A friend of mine found out after quite a few years that she has an allergy to it, and although I’m no doctor - maybe you can use the allergy excuse. No one makes fun of you for that rolleyes:

 

[IrishAm]

Why, at 40 (or at 20, for that matter), do you need to say “I don’t drink”? Why not just “no, thank you”?

 

[Simon_X]

Why, at 40 (or at 20, for that matter), do you need to say “I don’t drink”? Why not just “no, thank you”?

Good reply. No thanks, but Ill have a Coke, Ice Tea, ect…if folks are pushing alcohol on you and you don’t want it, that’s their problem…

 

[Eucharisted]

Seriously. I don’t drink. I don’t have anything against it, I just don’t like it. I don’t like the way it tastes, I don’t like the way it makes me feel. And even one glass of wine will really upset my stomach so it’s best if I just don’t drink so I don’t. It’s amazing how much money I save too.

But why do I seem to be the odd ball. I get funny looks while I drink my water at a cocktail party. My parents talked to me the other day and were asking if I got drunk with my sisters the other weekend. When I reminded them that I don’t drink they say, “oh yeah, you’re that child of ours”. So I’m even getting it from my parents.

Now, I am a strong person and no one can sway me to do something I don’t want to do. I just wish I could come up with something clever to say when I am being made fun of for my lack of alcohol appreciation or when my sister is trying to hand me a glass wine knowing I don’t want it.

And in case you are wondering, I am almost 40 years old, I’m not a teenager or in my 20’s. I’ve been dealing with this for a long long time but I’m just now getting really sick of it for some reason.

Never fear the Cross, give God glory for giving you the cross of being laughted at It took me a long time to realize how precious our crosses are - each one is a grace, a gift of the Lord’s Mercy!

I don’t drink myself, not parital to the taste of alcohol, but I do like Root Beer

 

[noclevername]

Why, at 40 (or at 20, for that matter), do you need to say “I don’t drink”? Why not just “no, thank you”?

Trust me, I’ve been dealing with this a long time. When I say “no thanks”, they say, “just try this” or “just have one drink”,etc. After i have all of those “no thank yous” out of the way, an hour later the process starts all over again. When I tell them “I don’t drink”, it’s more definitive. They know I mean business and they won’t try to offer me a drink all night. They just make fun of me instead.

 

[LeroyCRHP]

I see it all the time and think nothing of it. Just say “water please” and don’t think another thought about it. If it bothers other people that is their problem.

 

[noclevername]

Never fear the Cross, give God glory for giving you the cross of being laughted at It took me a long time to realize how precious our crosses are - each one is a grace, a gift of the Lord’s Mercy!

I don’t drink myself, not parital to the taste of alcohol, but I do like Root Beer

Oh yeah!! I do love a good Root Beer!! And a Sassperilla(sp).

 

[noclevername]

And don’t get me wrong about this thread. I’m not complaining…well, not really. I have a strong back and I can deal with being different. It’s not a problem at all.

I just would like some sort of clever comment I can throw back at folks.

 

[SJG1759]

I just would like some sort of clever comment I can throw back at folks.

How about “I am drinking… how else would I ingest this water [or Coke, or whatever]?”

A teetotaling friend of mine likes to get one of those red plastic Dixie cups (or some other opaque container) and drink out of it all night. He discovered that when he was holding one of those, everyone would just assume he was drinking alcohol and not hassle him.

 

[mike14620]

If you are out somewhere, you could always say that somebody has to drive the drinkers home. While I do drink, other nights I often play the role of designated driver when I go out with my friends. Especially if you are driving (or at least those pushing drinks believe that you are) they will probably stop. You might get a couple “just one” offers, but if you indicate that you don’t want anything then (maybe say you have a low tolerance?), people shouldn’t push it anymore.

This may prove more challenging with family than in other social situations.

 

[lovemysix]

I can understand your frustration…I’d probably tell people, “I’m recovering” just to see the looks on their faces. After all, they don’t need to know that you are really referring to the fact that you are trying to recover from people bugging you about your decision not to drink alcohol And I bet you they’d never try to hand you a drink again LOL!

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

Seriously. I don’t drink. I don’t have anything against it, I just don’t like it. .

To me? Not a thing. And it’s none of my beezwax who drinks and who doesn’t. OR WHY.

If you came to one of my world-famed BBQs you would find most of us drinking beer.

BUT several choices of soda, tea, or lemonade are always on hand for anyone who wants it.

No one would give you a second look. People who have a problem if you DON’T drink ARE the problem, not the non-drinker.

 

[noclevername]

If you are out somewhere, you could always say that somebody has to drive the drinkers home. While I do drink, other nights I often play the role of designated driver when I go out with my friends. Especially if you are driving (or at least those pushing drinks believe that you are) they will probably stop. You might get a couple “just one” offers, but if you indicate that you don’t want anything then (maybe say you have a low tolerance?), people shouldn’t push it anymore.

This may prove more challenging with family than in other social situations.

I’m glad you brought this up. It amazes me when I am in a restaurant and I look at the next table watching a couple down about three drinks during dinner and then get up and drive home. Most people don’t know just how little it takes to be legally drunk. They think if they feel OK then they are OK and they ain’t. I know a guy who got a DUI after just two drinks and he had eaten. He was a little guy but still it didn’t seem like a big deal. But apparently it was.

 

[noclevername]

I can understand your frustration…**I’d probably tell people, “I’m recovering” just to see the looks on their faces. ** After all, they don’t need to know that you are really referring to the fact that you are trying to recover from people bugging you about your decision not to drink alcohol And I bet you they’d never try to hand you a drink again LOL!

I like that one!!! I may have to try it out at the Superbowl party tomorrow. I’ll give a full report.

 

[noclevername]

To me? Not a thing. And it’s none of my beezwax who drinks and who doesn’t. OR WHY.

If you came to one of my world-famed BBQs you would find most of us drinking beer.

BUT several choices of soda, tea, or lemonade are always on hand for anyone who wants it.

No one would give you a second look. People who have a problem if you DON’T drink ARE the problem, not the non-drinker.

I do have some friends like that and I guess that’s why they are my friends. It’s more of my family and their friends who give me grief. I guess that old saying that goes something like this stands true…You can’t pick your family but thank goodness you can pick your friends.

 

[samcarter14]

I understand this problem. When i was in graduate school, during my first year, I did drink a lot (not as much as some of my fellow students, but enough!). I finally realized I was risking my health when I drove back home from a friend’s house at 3 am, still half-drunk. Nobody else was on the roads, but still. The next day I felt like death warmed over, and I was tired of feeling sick and ill on Sundays.

Then, too, my grandfather had struggled with alcoholism, and when he was dying (unrelated illness), he told us to be careful with what we put in our body. I realized I was dishonoring his memory by getting deliberately drunk.

So I stopped drinking. But I still hung out with my friends; luckily there were a few recovering AA members there, and they would drink Diet Coke or club soda. I learned that if you’re drinking a club soda with a twist, people bother you less about drinking, because it kind of looks like a drink.

I did have one “friend” who was very pushy about getting me to drink again. He kept offering me a beer, a cocktail, anything, when I came over. Finally another friend—who did drink but didn’t care if I didn’t–said, “You know what? It’s her choice. Leave her the blank alone.” The pushy friend actually did have a problem with alcoholism, in retrospect–they don’t like to drink alone.

So don’t let it bother you. I learned to just say, “Alcoholism runs in my family,” and then people left me alone. The people who bother you are doing it because they feel guilty about drinking, and they take your not drinking as a judgement call on their drinking.

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

Nobody owes anyone an explanation for not drinking. No need for snappy comebacks; you’re just playing into their particular weirdness.

If someone doesn’t eat okra, do you get grilled as to your reasons?

 

[Guitar]

You don’t need to be a non-drinker to get this sort of stuff.

I drink alcohol but have never been drunk in my life. I get pressure to drink more than I want to, usually at work functions when we’re travelling. On the other hand when we have our once-a-year Christmas round of afternoon teas with a particular subset of friends who don’t drink, we get “here come The Alcoholics” in exactly those words as soon as we arrive in two separate houses. That, to me, gets old real quick. It’s like people who know we drink but don’t drink themselves seem to think we will expect alcohol to be provided at every single social occasion and then they make a big deal out of it when we never asked them to provide it in the first place.

I am aware “on the quiet” of a few friends and colleagues who are former alcoholics and I have a good friend who I know refuses to touch it because his mother was an alcoholic during his childhood, so I always cater for those who don’t drink. I just put the hard stuff and the soft stuff out and leave everyone to their own devices and I never put anyone in the position where they have to say, “I don’t drink”.

 

[puzzleannie]

for one thing the phrase is not accurate, as I do drink, all kinds of things at least a quart of filtered water every day plus tea–green, black, white; coffee, club soda-cranberry juice spritzer, V-8, anything wet, just not alchohol. My liver is far to busy handling my meds to waste time and effort processing booze. However, that fact is of interest to no one but myself and my doctor so my standard reply, repeated as often as necessary, when plied with alchohol, sweets, desserts and other bad-for-me-stuff is “No, thank you,” repeated with a look of infinite patience, and moving to the other side of the room if necessary.

IMO someone who is not happy until everyone in the room has an alcoholic drink has a drinking problem himself. Of course my life-long experience in an alcoholic family may have something to do with this attitude.