Kallistia

Spent some time with a friend this weekend - so it's 3 am on Saturday and we're musing about how ridiculous everything is.

We decided that there must something inherently wrong with society as a whole if the person who chooses not to drink should be the one who feels ashamed - like not drinking is something dirty compared to the drinking for fun masses - that drinking is so normalized that if one does not do so then there must be something deeply wrong with them.

Doesn't make much sense.

ScottFromWI

"society" is really only what you believe it to be. Sure, drinking is advertised as fun and there are a lot of events that involve alcohol. But the reality is that the majority of people in this world either drink very little, or nothing at all. It's a common trick our addiction plays on us...that somehow society is responsible for our addiction or that "everyone drinks". It is simply not true, alcoholics are the minority statistically, by a long shot.

doggonecarl

I don't think this is society's fault. Society doesn't make the non-drinker feel ashamed. I think the drinker's ADDICTION makes the non-drinker feel ashamed, in the hope of causing a relapse.

Are you ashamed of sobriety? You should be concerned if you are. I'm empowered by my sobriety, proud of my recovery. Of course, that may be because I have accumulated a fair amount of sobriety. Your feelings may changes as well as your sober journey continues.

Kallistia

We were more on the subject of the people that feel the need to pressure others into drinking - or pressure others into going to bars or parties or so forth - which led to the subject of "why should we be the ones made to feel bad for not drinking?"

Guess I should have been more clear on who we were referring to as "society"

ScottFromWI

There are definitely people like that, but they are the exception - not the norm. Avoiding them is the best strategy. Sobriety is about hard choices, and one of the choices is sometimes ending relationships that are not conducive to the main goal.