dcg

Lie if you want, but you probably want to use the correct medical diagnosis, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, GERD

gettingsmarter

I would just tell them I quit. You don't have to explain anything.

tekink

Interestingly my Dad is the only person I've told who didn't seem to care. When I called to tell him I went a year without drinking all he said is "You haven't even had one?"

Then he went on to talk about how he shared his mulberry wine with his friends and how great his wine is and how all his friends tell him it's better than anything you can get in the store and I should try it.

Made me shake my head.

J50

Why can't you simply say no thank you if offered a drink? Are they going to press you if you say no?

ZBeeblebrox

Thx for all the advice, tomorrow is when it happens. I am not going to lie, I plan to simply say no when offered and will try not to over elaborate on reasons why. Then I will move the conversation along. I guess it’s just a bit of a leap into the unknown, for all my adult life they have known me as a drinker.

Dee74

Ive shared this before but when I first got sober I had long mental essays prepared to share with people about why I wasn't drinking anymore.

I shared the ins and outs of it with my parents who then refused to believe I was an alcoholic anyway....

I made the mistake of thinking drinking was as important to everyone else as it was to me.

I genuinely assumed everyone thought about drinking as much as I did.

The truth is, looking back over ten years, is that very few people care what I drink.

The only exceptions being former drinking buddies and family (the family still don't believe I'm alcoholic but they've stopped asking if I want a beer...that's progress for my family)

I really, firmly, believe that 'no thanks., but I'll have a soda/water/juice/milk' is all anyone needs to know about what I'm drinking, or not drinking, and why.

D

bexxed

One of many things I say, “oh no, thanks, I drank enough alcohol for my life already!” That’s my current favorite. It says it all.

DangerZone

IMO this is not as big of a deal as people on here are making it out to be. I'd say 95% of people do not care whether someone drinks or not. It's not like you are marrying these people. We are just hanging out with them. So I wouldn't put too much thought into answering the question. Just be honest but you don't have to give a detailed answer.

The way I see it I am not going to live my life giving people the answers they want to hear about my life in order to be accepted. I am who I am. Take or leave it.

If someone doesn't want to be friends with me that is fine. No big deal. Billions of people on this earth. Can't be friends with everyone.

MyLittleHorsie

You know, I wrote about this in weekenders. I was at a party last night, 9 people at our table, we even got called the rowdy table. Only 4 people were drinking at our table. Nobody asked me why I wasn't drinking and I didn't ask anyone else why they weren't.

I think there comes a point in sobriety where booze shifts from the forefront, the who is drinking, I am not, what if someone notices, that all shifts and you are able to go out, have fun and focus on the people you are with and what you are celebrating.

BodhiMarshall

Wely parents have begged me to quit for years .maybe they'll understand it caused you problems. I try and be honest about it but sometimes if I'm around old drinking buddies I just say my liver can't take it anymore...they don't seem to have a problem with that but I think most of them know I had three DUII and several legal problems a divorce and at least one thriving business that tanked because of alcohol....but I suppose that just makes the liver that ng credible and it could be true if not I I want to avoid it before my liver files for divorce and I have to find a new one.

.

ZBeeblebrox

Thx everyone, the weekend went well. They offered drinks, I refused, explained that I wasn’t drinking and we moved on. All quite painless! I had a nice time, didn’t drink and feel I’m starting to move on.

Dee74

awesome ZB

D

Sophie11

Thanks for letting us know how it went, and sounds like an overall success... an anti-climax in a GOOD way!

MyLittleHorsie

Yay for a good weekend!

Sarahsays

I just say I stopped drinking, want to get healthy. That's all. And it's true, I do want to get healthy. They don't need to know any more than that.

gettingsmarter

That's great!

Razorback

Well, saying your doctor told you to stop because your liver numbers were off would be hard to argue with. And even if you didn't go to the doctor, it would probably be true if you had! I think in most cases it's fine to just order a NA drink and say that's what you prefer (cause it's true) but in your parents' case the doc explanation would probably work better.

I've only had one person ask, ever, why I wasn't drinking. It was someone I'd just met, who was very unpleasant. She pressed the issue, asking if I was alcoholic ("why aren't you drinking...do you have a problem")? I smiled sweetly, said "have a lovely evening," picked up my seltzer and walked away. One other benefit...it was at a hotel bar -- a birthday party -- and the bartender, who'd overheard the exchange, didn't charge me a cent all night.

You don't owe anyone an explanation, but that was the only time it ever came up. I notice that many, many people at business functions in my industry (entertainment), don't drink because they don't want to make asses of themselves, and also want to stay sharp for networking.