I was the life of the party when I was still drinking alcohol. I was the ringleader, the cocktail shaker, the glass-filler, the rebel rouser. I felt personal responsibility for the good time of others, and somehow I felt like I had to be downing the drinks to be the good-time gal that had become my persona, whether or not others felt that way or I had labeled myself that way.
I had my first real drink somewhere around the age of 15 or so, and from the very beginning alcohol had me completely under its spell. As someone who has always struggled with social anxiety, alcohol was the magical elixir social lubricant I’d been waiting for all my life. During the nearly two decades that alcohol was part of my life, there were many times I would take a break or cut back and I recall each time that inevitably someone in my circle would notice and ask “why aren’t you drinking?” That inquiry would immediately fill me with guilt that I was ruining someone else’s good time, and I would make up excuses like “I’m on an antibiotic” or “I’m watching my sugar intake” etc…anything to avoid the truth which was “Deep down I know that alcohol is not good for me, but I’m afraid to admit it.”
The funny thing about starting a company who’s mission it is to normalize NOT drinking (or cutting down or taking a break or whatever your very valid reason is for being interested in alcohol-free drinks) is that for years I wanted to privately deal with my challenges with alcohol – no one should ever be pressured to talk about their reasons for not drinking – but now, I want to shout it from the rooftops! Removing drinking from my life has had such a profound impact on literally ever part of me, and I can’t help but be a blabber mouth about it.
A big part of my mission with Raising the Bar is to help *normalize NOT drinking* - discussing our relationship with alcohol can feel deeply personal, but also the more we talk about it as a society the more normal it will become.
That being said, whatever your reasons might be for not drinking – whether it’s for a night or forever – don’t have to be anybody else’s business but your own. So today, we are sharing 10 responses for how to answer when someone asks why you’re not drinking and you don’t really want to get into it.
1. I’m driving.
2. I’m too busy to be hungover.
3. I have a headache.
4. I’m on antibiotics.
5. I have an early meeting tomorrow.
6. I’m cutting out sugar.
7. I’m taking a break.
8. I don’t feel like it.
9. I want to be on my A-game for my: job/kids/partner/pet/etc.
10. I feel better without a drink.
What would you add to this list?
To Raising the Bar,
Abbie