Originally Posted by ubntubnt

Sorry but drinking lunches are so 1990's. It is rare I see that now at any level in a business and it is relatively easy to avoid. "I'll have a diet coke/water/juice please" is the smart choice and perfectly acceptable to any decent professional person. If someone pushes you for an alcoholic drink at lunch just say "sorry, not this time, I have an important call when I get back". Anyone who pushes someone to drink over a lunch is a dick.

A business dinner is a little different where there is more of an expectation to have a beer of two or a couple of glasses of wine. Nothing heavy but one of two to seal the bond of friendship and unwind. In my opinion, if you feel your host/colleagues are going to drink and expect you to do likewise then find an early excuse to say that you will not be drinking today. For example, menus arrive and waitress says "can I start you off with a drink?"....you can reply something like "unfortunately its diet cokes for me today as I am driving" or "could I have a diet coke please, my wife has me on a strict diet" or "my child is not well and I need to look after her when I get back so I can't really drink today". That way you send an early signal, nobody gets embarrassed and you are clear. I find the worst is when the host orders an expensive wine or champagne and you then say no thanks a water will do...

Originally Posted by trachemys

At dinner, if there's a wine glass in the place setting in addition to a water glass, turn the wine glass upside down. Universal signal that you aren't drinking.