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Do you get pressured to drink alcohol in social settings?
So I made the executive decision when I got married at the young age of 22 to NOT drink alcohol. I never enjoyed the taste or the way that it made me feel (let alone the damaging effects to the brain and gut lining that I’m now aware of), so I decided then and there to just say no.But boy do I get bullied at social gatherings. Still today. But I’ve gotten used to it though, and most of our friends and family have given up trying to pressure me into drinking.
“Come on, live a little”
“Come on, it’s just 1 drink”
“Just take a sip”
“I dare you” (that one cracks me up… as if we’re little kids)It’s amazing how humans thrive on creating shared interests.
How do I handle these situations? I usually make a joke out of it. When they ask me what I’d like to drink, I say “I’ll have a glass of water on the rocks with a twist of lemon”. We all get a few chuckles and I get to enjoy my glass of water & lemon twist in peace for the rest of the event.
How about you? Are you bullied or pressured into drinking alcohol? If so, how do you handle it?
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2 Replies
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Just a quick background- I stopped drinking when Covid hit in 2020 because I wasn’t going out anymore. And now I just made it part of my life to not drink. I’m still getting used to not drinking at social gatherings. It’s kind of hard to not have a mini cocktail when my boyfriend and I are watching the sunset and we just grilled outside the patio. But for me it’s easy to say no to drinking because I get really bad gut pains from just having sips. It’s hard sometimes though when my boyfriend or people close to me says those things you mentioned above “just have a little” etc. i just think in my head how much more better the quality of my life is without alcohol and those people pressuring me don’t phase me. I just tell them “alcohol is literally poison you know?” And that usually gets them to rethink their decision too or just stop asking me. Hope that helps!
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Good for you for standing up for yourself. I think once you set that as an intention (as in, “I don’t drink anymore”), it’s so much easier not to feel pressured because your mind is made up.
I always tell my clients “keep the ritual, drop the habit”. So if you enjoy the evening sunsets with your boyfriend, keep that as your ritual, but replace the habit with a mocktail instead for example. The experience will be just as enjoyable.
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