Maybe you’re pleasing everyone around you, putting out fires at work, or managing family expectations. But you rarely pause to fully process how that is making you feel. Pick a non alcoholic drink you like, maybe something exotic. Having a drink in your hand helps you to blend in with the crowd. You may also be setting an example for others that you can socialize and have fun without drinking.
Tell Friends How They Can Support You
That shouldn’t deter you from doing what’s best for you and your health. By involving your loved ones in your sobriety, you’re helping reduce temptation and cultivating a sense of understanding and empathy among the people you lean on the most. You might struggle to find the motivation to get out there and do things. Depending on how much you drank and for how long, it can take time for your brain to start producing higher baseline levels of dopamine.
- Picking up a new hobby can help fill your time and provide a great way to meet people.
- Practicing assertive communication and preparing responses can ease the pressure of explaining sobriety to others.
- Instead, she shared how proud she was of herself, and the response was completely different!
- When I quit, I didn’t expect my husband to quit or ask him to quit.
Why I Decided to Stop Drinking and How I Did It
When you sink your teeth into a mouthwatering burger or you’re busy wiping wing sauce off your fingers, your mind will as far away from alcohol as possible. Food also gives you something to be excited about when your friends are raving about the great beer selection the bar has. While smoking has seen significant regulatory changes and a shift in public opinion, alcohol still lags behind. The industry’s power in advertising and cultural influence means that change is slow.
Finding Strength and Joy in Recovery This Holiday Season
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- It’s a full package designed specifically to adapt to your goals, and help you reach them gradually, so you can make a huge impact on your health and wellbeing.
- Holding a non-alcoholic beverage is a simple, effective way to signal to others that you’re all set.
- Go to the bartender or server at the beginning of the evening and let them know you don’t drink.
- Unfortunately, this statement often leads to an intrusive conversation and questioning by a person with less-than-perfect manners.
You may feel alone in your situation, but you might be surprised to find that others are in a similar boat. If anything, some colleagues might appreciate the opportunity to get to know their teammates sans alcohol. As someone who knows what it’s like to be a non-drinker at work, you have the power to change your company’s culture to be more inclusive. In short, you don’t owe people anything—so don’t be afraid to turn them away. “People drug addiction that are really in your face about it aren’t respectful of you and your choices,” says Campion.
Why Aren’t You Drinking? 10 Confident Responses to This Common Question
The truth is, you don’t need to justify your personal choices. However, having clear, confident responses can make social situations more comfortable. I was excited to display my key tags ( representations of time in sobriety) and recovery jewelry. However, my family still felt a lot of embarrassment over the fact that I was proclaiming to be an alcoholic, and they were not ready for me to disclose this news. So, I withheld any personal information for a while and chose softer, less revealing answers to questions about my abstinence from drinking …. First, we start by talking about their reasons for wanting to make a change.
How to Maintain Sobriety
Or again, you can try your best to avoid these situations. Younger people can be worse about doing all of the above, but older adults often aren’t much better. At least with adults, you’d think they would be a little more mature and understanding of people’s different life choices and personalities. That a classmate might be an alcoholic generally isn’t on the minds of the college-aged crowd. Building an in-person social life that doesn’t revolve around alcohol is easier than you might think.
If you try to politely and vaguely tell someone you don’t want a drink, and they continue to push the point, you can matter-of-factly tell them what your situation is. Only the biggest jerk would still continue to bug you after that. You will have nights when you drink more than planned. Definitely don’t go into a shame loop and end up drinking more the next night because of it. The Calm app puts the tools to feel better in your back pocket, with personalized content to manage stress and anxiety, get better sleep, and feel more present in your life.
On the flip side, heavy drinking is defined as consuming 15 units of alcohol per week for men and 8 or more units of alcohol per week for women. Moderate consumption is medically defined as 2 drinks or less per day for men and 1 drink or less for women per day. If you drink a “glass” of wine, but you pour the equivalent of eight ounces instead of five, then your glass of wine is considered approximately 1.5 units of alcohol.
- Was she going to drink during the networking gatherings?
- Unfortunately we need your permission to store your personal information to help us to assess the best support we could provide or signpost you to.
- If you’re new to sobriety, you’re probably avoiding events where other people will be drinking and that’s smart.
- Most drinkers have social lives that revolve heavily around alcohol.
When combined with exercise, sleep, and a healthier diet, you will find that quitting alcohol is much more manageable than if you were to ignore these things. Little by little, you’ll start to acquire a taste for better food and build healthier habits that can support your sobriety long-term. For more on the benefits of exercise on mental health, I highly recommend this talk by Wendy Suzuki.
