Mags1

Welcome to the Weekenders

What do you say when offered alcohol?
/][/url

I found It can be difficult to come up with an answer if you aren’t prepared. It could even lead to ‘just one drink’ and we know what happens then![/url


When I was newly sober and for quite a while longer, I realised, even with some family, I needed an answer when offered a drink. They thought (or didn’t, cos they were normal drinkers) having a glass of champagne to celebrate their anniversary, didn’t count!!
I knew I wasn’t going to drink it, but I was stumped for an answer! They wouldn’t take no for an answer!

I’m happy to say I’m now able to say ‘No Thank you’ without adding an explanation, unless I want to.

Being prepared for this, maybe one for the tool box, perhaps.

If this is your first weekend sober, or many, come join us for support and chat, as we know the weekends can be a struggle sometimes.

Dee74

Thanks Mags

D

andyh

I'm in.

thanks Mags.

Hodd

lunar

Count me in-
Thanks, Mags.
I agree with the "no thank you" answer, followed by
"I don't drink" if the situation requires it.
If I am offered a cigarette or cigar, I'll say "I don't smoke".
Personally, I don't see much of a difference.
If the offeror(s) presses for an additional reason or excuse, too bad for them.

kk1k5x

At times I've said 'these sails can't hold such winds'

andyh

rather bizarrely I got asked if I drank in the interview for my current job - I just said "No" and left it at that. I got the job, so presumably it didn't count against me too much.

Hawkeye13

I just say "I'm not a drinker". Two for one that way: a non-negotiable no (so I don't get the "just one won't hurt" from who's asking, and also a personal affirmation of reinforcement. My identity now is more as a non-drinker than one who drinks.

Thanks for the thread Mags

Shotgun, by the by

sammymaguire

I just say im off it for health reasons. Most people are polite enough not to push me further and if they did I would smile sweetly at hem and ask them why they want to know.

STDragon

Having some time under my belt, it's easy to say I don't drink and no thank you. But at first it was cause for concern. My first encounter was to tell a couple of close co-workes that I quit and won't be drinking at the company christmas party. One actually laughed and didn't believe me. The other waited a bit and respectfully ask why I made that decision. My answer was "for health reasons" and he's never brought it up again. At the party, the first co-worker tried to preasure me several times. I actually had to raise my voice at the table to put a stop to it. In later weeks and months he'd ask me if I were 'drinking yet'.

theVman31

Thanks Mags

I'm in for the weekend.

Sometimes I tell the truth and don't hold back but to be honest it's not what I say to others that worries me it's what I say to myself.

It's being big enough to accept that every time I drank I ended up blacked out and oftentimes semi-conscious behind the wheel of a car...
Letting down the people who count.
This sickness is a family and community destroyer. As a weekender says its biological.

Had to beat off the AV with a stick again this morning but beat it off I did. Getting sick of these bouts of AV but staying sober...

Blaaaa bla blabber time over.

dpac414

biminiblue

Vman.

"I've already drank my fair share."

Just a heads up, that one leads to laughter (which is probably why I like it) and then sometimes the questions. Meh, I don't really get into it with people anymore. It does depend on who it is as to how I handle it.

It's more about my own internal dialog and I don't have much of one anymore regarding why I don't drink. "No, thanks," is my standard answer. If people ask why I say, "I don't like it." Simple and no good argument against it. I don't lie, never have - but I don't tell all either. I don't use the word alcoholic anywhere but here.

I've said this many times on SR before, but my closest family didn't stop offering me a drink even years after I told them I was an alcoholic (in the 90s) and I refused a drink every single time in those years. With them sometimes I'd say, "No!" and then give them the Look.

In.

After I wake up.

Kaily

Thanks Mags.

It very rarely comes about as I don't socialise anymore but on rare occasions if I have to go somewhere I just say "no thanks" if asked why not I say "I like it too much".

I'm not shy in telling people my struggles with alcohol, in fact I am proud of how far I have come. I had to fight like hell to get sober ~ wheres the shame

Vman keep beating that pesky AV with the big stick. Mine comes and goes then comes again, relentless little beast!

saoutchik

IN!

Thanks Mags!

Welcome to Weekenders Hodd!

These days I rarely get asked but early in recovery if anyone asked or if I felt that an explanation was called for would just say I liked it (booze) too much. I must say that I cannot recall anyone being negative. I never feel uncomfortable if someone does ask but I try not to make anyone else embarassed about their own drinking if I am somewhere where drinking is taking place - once a week usually in my case.

Mags1

dpac, Congratulations on the Zoo Promotion

Bim, I really like the kitten video ❤️.

Thinking about other people, some of my coworkers would’ve been like yours, Andy. Pressing to drink and probably think I’m boring! I like my boring.

It is really warm outside, 18C but feels warmer than that.

saoutchik

Oh yes, congratulations on the promotion dpac!

DJ1

Thanks for this! this time around ive tried to plan ahead had a situation come up the other day i had in my head what I was going to say & stuck to it
even when they kept pressuring me i would have caved the last go around this time nope not falling again

ImNotThatGuy

Great topic, Mags.

Being only three weeks in, I still bump in to people who will say, "Let's go grab a beer." It's hard to say, "No thanks, I don't drink" in those situations so I've just been telling them that I'm on a health kick, trying to lose some weight. Once I even went to the bar (couldn't get out of it, really) and had a club soda using the same excuse.

I'm looking forward to the day when I have so much time that it's easy to just say, "No thanks" or "Club soda, please" without having to explain myself.

WeThinkNot

I just tell people I'm an alcoholic if somebody is being insistent. I've found that trying to be coy usually results in people doubling down on their efforts to get you to have a drink.

The person will either make a positive comment or will get uncomfortable, likely questioning their own relationship with alcohol. Either way it gets people to not pressure me to drink.