Somebody asked me at work today why i didnt drink?....
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Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: London
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Somebody asked me at work today why i didnt drink?....
Up until this point I have been very cagey with the reason I don't drink because I was ashamed...today, i felt different. I just said it was because it was doing me and not me doing it! Then she said, just moderate it! So again I answered " I Can not moderate so i do not go there ". End of conversation, but what was really interesting was 2 others both agreed and said they felt the same recently and would like to stop too. I felt really good, holding my head up and being proud that I don't drink as opposed to ashamed.
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Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 7,837
I think tons of people feel like that and are too scared to say anything.
When I say something like you did, other people often chime in with -" yeah I can't stop once I start" or something like that xo
When I say something like you did, other people often chime in with -" yeah I can't stop once I start" or something like that xo
good for you. It is refreshing to hear other people openly admit their struggles.
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Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: USA
Posts: 701
That's great! There's right or wrong answer, its what you are comfortable with. I once said something to the effect that I had already drank a lifetime's worth of alcohol. I think the next person that asks I will just tell them the truth: that my husband drinks enough for the both of us😟
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 8,637
Originally Posted by zlhzlh 
Up until this point I have been very cagey with the reason I don't drink because I was ashamed...today, i felt different. I just said it was because it was doing me and not me doing it! Then she said, just moderate it! So again I answered " I Can not moderate so i do not go there ". End of conversation, but what was really interesting was 2 others both agreed and said they felt the same recently and would like to stop too. I felt really good, holding my head up and being proud that I don't drink as opposed to ashamed.
Yes, I've also found that when I have been open about it.... there are a LOT of people who respond with something along the lines of "gee... I wish I could do that..."
Way to go. Nice milestone!
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 8,637
these days, I've come to have a little fun with my responses to that question. Stuff like:
I used up all my drinkin credits between the ages of 14 and 40....
I had to stop drinking because I was so darn good at it, it wasn't fair to other people....
I'm a zero or a thousand guy.... where drinking is concerned, I'd had my fill of a thousand.
Well.... ya see.... with drinking, it was either it or me. I won.
I find it fun to play around with light-hearted, witty, yet honest answers. At first this question was a real stumbling block. I remember worrying about it. I remember being anxious when it came up. What would people think, what would I say, etc.
Those days seem a faded memory and all that concern over the question seems pretty silly now.
I used up all my drinkin credits between the ages of 14 and 40....
I had to stop drinking because I was so darn good at it, it wasn't fair to other people....
I'm a zero or a thousand guy.... where drinking is concerned, I'd had my fill of a thousand.
Well.... ya see.... with drinking, it was either it or me. I won.
I find it fun to play around with light-hearted, witty, yet honest answers. At first this question was a real stumbling block. I remember worrying about it. I remember being anxious when it came up. What would people think, what would I say, etc.
Those days seem a faded memory and all that concern over the question seems pretty silly now.
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Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: London
Posts: 367
Originally Posted by FreeOwl
these days, I've come to have a little fun with my responses to that question. Stuff like:
I used up all my drinkin credits between the ages of 14 and 40....
I had to stop drinking because I was so darn good at it, it wasn't fair to other people....
I'm a zero or a thousand guy.... where drinking is concerned, I'd had my fill of a thousand.
Well.... ya see.... with drinking, it was either it or me. I won.
I find it fun to play around with light-hearted, witty, yet honest answers. At first this question was a real stumbling block. I remember worrying about it. I remember being anxious when it came up. What would people think, what would I say, etc.
Those days seem a faded memory and all that concern over the question seems pretty silly now.
I used up all my drinkin credits between the ages of 14 and 40....
I had to stop drinking because I was so darn good at it, it wasn't fair to other people....
I'm a zero or a thousand guy.... where drinking is concerned, I'd had my fill of a thousand.
Well.... ya see.... with drinking, it was either it or me. I won.
I find it fun to play around with light-hearted, witty, yet honest answers. At first this question was a real stumbling block. I remember worrying about it. I remember being anxious when it came up. What would people think, what would I say, etc.
Those days seem a faded memory and all that concern over the question seems pretty silly now.
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Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: MN
Posts: 8,704
Its surprising how much folks stress over how to answer that question, and yet when we cross that hurdle, we realize how easy it is. In the end, almost no one cares. If they do care, they likely have a problem themselves.
Um Dia de Cada Vez
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Brasil
Posts: 613
I guess it depends on my mood, If I want to talk about recovery then I tell them the truth and even go a little further about the relationship I had with alcohol etc.. but some days I just say that I don't drink for health or religious reasons and move on.
that would raise a few eyebrows hahahahha
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Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: London
Posts: 367
Originally Posted by trachemys
"I don't drink. Mind your own business." Works most times.
"I don't drink. If I do, you're first."
"I don't drink. If I do, you're first."
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Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Ellicott City, MD
Posts: 72
The answer to this question gives you the opportunity to be of service to those still suffering
Hi All! I used to use "what am I going to tell people who ask why I don't drink" as an excuse to not quit drinking. I've used every excuse actually! I am pretty proud of where i am now in relation to where i was so I'm pretty open about being sober, how I got there and how I live now.
I have found that more times than not, when people know this about me, they come to me when they need help with a loved one's addiction or their own problems with alcohol.
I have found that more times than not, when people know this about me, they come to me when they need help with a loved one's addiction or their own problems with alcohol.
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