I can’t get over this attitude people have when they don’t drink. This article almost makes it out like they were closeted.
> For the guts of a decade, I struggled to make public, and perhaps acknowledge, that I was a non-drinker. It was rarely said out loud;
As we go on we find out she just turned down invitations to places because she’s socially awkward
> Being an introvert and socially awkward in my 20s (and admittedly still today) meant I only ever saw the UCD student’s bar once during an entirely sober arts degree. I made excuses to avoid the pub for after-work drinks and probably came across as quite “the bore” as I turned down invitations I felt uncomfortable with
Literally nothing stopping you from going out and not drinking lol. It’s always brought up that you end up being abused if you don’t drink but honestly I find that quite funny; people have more interesting things to be talking about than somebody not drinking and if you actually being genuinely abused by people over it why are you with these people?
At the end of the day who gives a toss, stop blaming not drinking on why people think you’re anti-social or whatever because it usually ends up like the above where the person doesn’t tend to be the most social anyway. Drink or don’t drink who cares
Erm… is it that uncommon?
A great bunch of lads I’m sure but it says something about the culture that there is an article and a name for this.
The phrase “paper never refused ink” comes to mind.
Ireland has always had a long tradition of non drinkers.
I often go sober hunting, they’re the easiest find in the country. Atop any hike trail or mountain is where most lie as it seems most think these walks or trails are the only alternative to drinking.
As a non drinker I’ll say only this on the topic. Please for the love of Christ would you open a conversation with me in a bar with anything anything at all other than “So you don’t drink?”
I have lost track of the amount of times people at work dos have asked me that. The same people. Event on event.
Alcohol is the only drug that people will think there’s something wrong with you if you don’t do it.
I didn’t drink for years and even now I’ll only have one or two, never made a big deal out of it, and people were fine with it. The data on changing alcohol consumption is interesting, sure, but don’t act like you’re the second coming of christ for choosing not to drink alcohol 🙄
Have a mate who never drank and went to the pubs and clubs always with us down through the years. Even the madouvit ecstasy nights. Often, someone might say would you not have a beer, go on sure etc. He’d laugh it off and had a set of rehearsed ad libs etc. Its not that hard to go out and have a laugh with it. Otherwise what? cry your eyes out in your room. Get out n about. Have a sprite n tell the cunts theyll be hanging arseways tomorrow n youll be fresh as a daisy. This article was guff btw
People who don’t drink are fine and its not uncommon. The issue is the people who love to go on about how they don’t drink. Insufferable lot.
I stopped drinking about two months ago. Just found that the occasional glass of wine was becoming the nightly bottle and that I was hanging after a night out.
I lost weight and feel better.
It helps that there is Guinness zero etc as you can legitimately sit at the bar and people don’t bat an eyelid.
The shite talking at the end of the night is always fun though 😉
I’ll still drink for special occasions etc but I’d recommend just easing back.
“How great am I?”
I definitely think there isn’t nearly as much stigma about not drinking compared to a decade or two ago. People would have looked at you like you were genuinely odd back then, but it’s seen as a more normal lifestyle choice nowadays.
I am not a teetotaler but the first year of the pandemic, my husband and I didn’t drink. We saw other people start to drink every night at home and just made a decision not to do that, but we didn’t necessarily plan to not drink for that long. We probably did have a few drinks that year, but I honestly couldn’t say how many, because it wasn’t a goal per se…. We just didn’t miss it. Now we’ll have drinks if we’re out with people, but far less often. As you get older, the ability to recover takes so much longer, and it’s nice to have productive weekends. I look back at my 20s and 30s and all the things I did that make me feel shame or embarassment were all alcohol related.
Had an ex who had some drug and alcohol issues. Not drinking was the most difficult part for him, as his friends just couldn’t understand him saying he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to make a big thing of it, but I saw the social pressure he experienced not wanting to have a drink on nights out.
Recently I just started to drink about one and half pints max instead of my usual 3-4. Feel so much better for it the next day too
17 comments
Sober curious. Honestly, what a pile of shite.
We’re not all raving alcoholics
I can’t get over this attitude people have when they don’t drink. This article almost makes it out like they were closeted.
> For the guts of a decade, I struggled to make public, and perhaps acknowledge, that I was a non-drinker. It was rarely said out loud;
As we go on we find out she just turned down invitations to places because she’s socially awkward
> Being an introvert and socially awkward in my 20s (and admittedly still today) meant I only ever saw the UCD student’s bar once during an entirely sober arts degree. I made excuses to avoid the pub for after-work drinks and probably came across as quite “the bore” as I turned down invitations I felt uncomfortable with
Literally nothing stopping you from going out and not drinking lol. It’s always brought up that you end up being abused if you don’t drink but honestly I find that quite funny; people have more interesting things to be talking about than somebody not drinking and if you actually being genuinely abused by people over it why are you with these people?
At the end of the day who gives a toss, stop blaming not drinking on why people think you’re anti-social or whatever because it usually ends up like the above where the person doesn’t tend to be the most social anyway. Drink or don’t drink who cares
Erm… is it that uncommon?
A great bunch of lads I’m sure but it says something about the culture that there is an article and a name for this.
The phrase “paper never refused ink” comes to mind.
Ireland has always had a long tradition of non drinkers.
I often go sober hunting, they’re the easiest find in the country. Atop any hike trail or mountain is where most lie as it seems most think these walks or trails are the only alternative to drinking.
As a non drinker I’ll say only this on the topic. Please for the love of Christ would you open a conversation with me in a bar with anything anything at all other than “So you don’t drink?”
I have lost track of the amount of times people at work dos have asked me that. The same people. Event on event.
Alcohol is the only drug that people will think there’s something wrong with you if you don’t do it.
I didn’t drink for years and even now I’ll only have one or two, never made a big deal out of it, and people were fine with it. The data on changing alcohol consumption is interesting, sure, but don’t act like you’re the second coming of christ for choosing not to drink alcohol 🙄
Have a mate who never drank and went to the pubs and clubs always with us down through the years. Even the madouvit ecstasy nights. Often, someone might say would you not have a beer, go on sure etc. He’d laugh it off and had a set of rehearsed ad libs etc. Its not that hard to go out and have a laugh with it. Otherwise what? cry your eyes out in your room. Get out n about. Have a sprite n tell the cunts theyll be hanging arseways tomorrow n youll be fresh as a daisy. This article was guff btw
People who don’t drink are fine and its not uncommon. The issue is the people who love to go on about how they don’t drink. Insufferable lot.
I stopped drinking about two months ago. Just found that the occasional glass of wine was becoming the nightly bottle and that I was hanging after a night out.
I lost weight and feel better.
It helps that there is Guinness zero etc as you can legitimately sit at the bar and people don’t bat an eyelid.
The shite talking at the end of the night is always fun though 😉
I’ll still drink for special occasions etc but I’d recommend just easing back.
“How great am I?”
I definitely think there isn’t nearly as much stigma about not drinking compared to a decade or two ago. People would have looked at you like you were genuinely odd back then, but it’s seen as a more normal lifestyle choice nowadays.
I am not a teetotaler but the first year of the pandemic, my husband and I didn’t drink. We saw other people start to drink every night at home and just made a decision not to do that, but we didn’t necessarily plan to not drink for that long. We probably did have a few drinks that year, but I honestly couldn’t say how many, because it wasn’t a goal per se…. We just didn’t miss it. Now we’ll have drinks if we’re out with people, but far less often. As you get older, the ability to recover takes so much longer, and it’s nice to have productive weekends. I look back at my 20s and 30s and all the things I did that make me feel shame or embarassment were all alcohol related.
Had an ex who had some drug and alcohol issues. Not drinking was the most difficult part for him, as his friends just couldn’t understand him saying he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to make a big thing of it, but I saw the social pressure he experienced not wanting to have a drink on nights out.
Recently I just started to drink about one and half pints max instead of my usual 3-4. Feel so much better for it the next day too