Maintaining Sobriety around Friends who Consume Alcohol

My sister quit drinking almost a year before I did and her journey inspired me. She used to be one of my favorite people to drink with and now she is one of my being sober around drinkers favorite people to not drink with. Olivia Luppino is an editorial assistant at Women’s Health.

Easy Responses to Use When People Ask Why You Aren’t Drinking

I recall an incident at a Christmas party where my choice to not drink was met with hostility. A fellow guest accused me of dampening the mood merely by my presence. When you opt out of drinking, you might be seen as a mirror reflecting an uncomfortable truth about alcohol’s harm, which can lead to defensive or aggressive responses from those who drink. If you drink and know it’s time to stop but think it will be too hard, I love you and encourage you to seek help.

When you’re tempted to drink, ask yourself why.

Checkpoints have become more common for catching drunk drivers, and impaired driving is readily apparent, so it can get you pulled over and possibly arrested. There are some drinks idioms that you hope never to hear, and this may be one of them. Not all drink idioms are to do with the action of drinking. To drink in something means to take a moment and allow your senses to really absorb it.

Alcoholics Anonymous (the only real recovery)

• As I mentioned, I didn’t seek out a recovery program.
• Whether you’re sober or not, an essential quality of a good friend is one who encourages and supports you to be healthy.
• As alcoholics tend to drink progressively more they will generally conceal the frequency and amount they drink.
• TIPS (Training for Intervention ProcedureS) is the global leader in education and training for the responsible service, sale, and consumption of alcohol.

Sadly, well intentioned folks try to protect the alcoholic from him/herself (enabling) or try to predict what they will do next (no crystal ball available). There are hundreds of wise sayings amongst alcoholics in recovery. Some are meant to make you think and some are meant to be taken very literally. Alcoholics Anonymous Sober living home refers to, “the insanity of our disease.” This is a very literal statement. How do I keep or maintain and active social life when I don’t drink, or how should I act when I’m at an event where people drink and still have a better time? The simplest, most obvious advice is that you don’t have to do this alone.

• The last thing you want is to be waiting around for a friend who has decided they want to stay out all night.
• They have checked out already and it’s no longer significant who is there.
• To stay sober when your friends are drinking, you might develop and practice coping strategies to navigate any discomfort or peer pressure.
• It gave me anxiety when someone was still on their first glass of chardonnay while I had already gulped down a Manhattan and on to my second.
• Like anything, the best apps to stop drinking alcohol are the ones that work best for you.
• You are a mirror now, a flashlight of sobriety in a society that is laced with the judgment that it’s abnormal to abstain from alcohol.
• Next time you’re out at a bar with a group of friends perhaps you’ll hear the term a round of drinks.

Engage in activities that bring you joy or help you relax, such as exercise, meditation, or creative pursuits. To loosen up without alcohol, focus on building genuine connections with others through conversation. Ask open-ended questions, actively listen and show a genuine interest in getting to know people.

Don’t use rookie explanations for not drinking

• I too struggled with how I was going to loosen up without alcohol.
• If you don’t have any friends who don’t drink, try joining a club or group that has like-minded individuals.2.
• Look for cultural festivals, fitness classes, or hobby-based groups.
• To encourage stronger connections in sober settings, focus on creating an environment where everyone feels comfortable and included.

I was shy, awkward, and lonely until my mid-twenties and created this site to be the kind of guide I wish I’d had at the time. On the link below you’ll find a training series focused on how to feel at ease socially, even if you tend to overthink today. This strategy tends to work best for one-off encounters with people you don’t know that well. If you’re with a group of old friends, and they all https://ecosoberhouse.com/ know you don’t drink, you can’t exactly lie to them. If you get challenged, just keep up that cheerful but self-assured tone and restate that you don’t feel like drinking. If they joke around and bust your balls, take it in good humor.

• When I decided to go on an extended break from alcohol during quarantine, it was easy peasy to sail through the weekends and happy hours pleasantly content in my nightgown with Netflix.
• There’s no easy pass for me anymore, no more getting drunk and slipping past the part where you get to know each other.
• In these cases, even just a few minutes of discussing something else is likely to be enough to make the person forget about your sobriety.
• When you find yourself in a social setting where alcohol flows freely and everyone else seems to be indulging, it can be challenging to abstain from drinking.

While making the decision to be sober was the best thing I’ve ever done, it’s also one of the hardest. Not only because not drinking is hard, but also because we live in a society where most everyone around us drinks. The friendlier part of Reddit.Have a fun conversation about anything that is on your mind. Ask a question or start a conversation about (almost) anything you desire. In such instances, it may be best to make no special accommodations for the individual; doing so would only increase a potentially unwelcome focus for that person. In other cases, it will be very much appreciated to offer alternatives in both focus and activity to create a fun and inclusive environment.

That’s because drinking can also be about sharing an experience, says Sheinbaum. The thing is, your shared experience doesn’t have to be with alcohol. You might even find that others have the same goal. You can expect that some people will be curious, says Young. But, it might also come with seemingly some discomfort or disappointment from friends. Those moments can be thought of as a “them thing, and less of a you thing,” says Shani Gardner, LCSW, a therapist at Soulful Grace Therapy.