You can still go out, you don't "have" to drink, just get water, its free and good for you. :)

I would just volunteer to be the DD for the next 4 weekends.  If people start asking why, just tell them that you are giving yourself a rest from alcohol and not to complain about having a DD!!  It usually works for me! 

Hmm thanks. Didn't think about the DD idea... that's a good one!

well when i drink i usually have vodka and selzter with a lemon.  you could get water with lemon/lime and maybe people will think you're drinking?? haha.  i know how you feel tho, sometimes i would rather not drink my calories but it's so hard when all your friends are out drinking and wondering why you aren't.  if you drink diet coke you could get diet coke w/ lemon or lime...that would look like a drink too.  hope this helps!! and good luck!

Just tell your friends that your doc gave you a perscription that you can't drink on without major nasty side effects (like kidney failure or something) - that way they won't give you a hard time past the first weekend.

Sometimes a little white lie goes a long way to getting people to lay off!

i know lying to your friends isn't that good of a thing to do, but if you don't think they'll understand and they'll hassle you about it.. just say lately you've been getting headaches and/or stomach problems so you're not drinking for a little while to see if that's what's causing it.

i read somewhere that if you can go without something for 30 days, you can go without it forever. good luck with your friends and not drinking!

I had a friend who went on antibiotics for a long time after travelling, she continued to go to the Bar and drank cranberry juice with soda water.  That became her drink of choice for a long time afterwards.  It looks like a Cape Cod. 

You don't have to say it's for diet, you can say you're doing this cool, new Detox called abstainance. 

I think you mean "abstaining from alcohol"

lot of prescription medication (even some birth control and standard anti-clot meds) require you be off alcohol.  most people though like knowing that there's at least one sober person at the end of the night to get them in a cab...

also, consider telling some of your closer friends ahead of time so they can stick up for you/act nonchalant about the whole thing so you have more people on your side.  There's lots of reasons not to drink, from meds, to DD, to having to get up early the next day...maybe you had a sudden overwhelming desire to go to church/temple/mosque/early family breakfasts at which you CANNOT appear hung over...etc every sunday morning?  *wink*

Haha, not going to lie. I have thought about just getting a cup, drinking water, and "pretending" it's alcohol, but thought people might start to notice after I have 5 glasses of the drink and I am no different than from the first!

I would like to see what 30 days without alcohol does for the mind, body, diet, etc.

Original Post by mgrondin:

I think you mean "abstaining from alcohol"

 lol that was my immediate reaction as well!

if they are all on theyre 5th drink they probably wont notice that you arent even tipsy... i know i dont notice when my bf (the DD) isnt getting goofier. LOL So if you can drink the mocktails, i doubt theyd notice.

30 days of no alcohol will make a big difference.  Last summer I was dating a guy and looking back it seems all we did was drink together.  Not only did I gain 6 pounds because of a skewed diet, large alcohol consumption and poor workout regime, but there was a severe drop in my performance in classes.  When I stopped seeing the bad-news guy, my grades got immediately better and I started to improve my diet and workout schedule.  The difference was astounding.  Plus, I saved a boat load of money because I wasn't buying so much alcohol and making whim decisions to go to clubs and concerts. 

Also, I'm 23, and I know that young people pressure their friends to drink and it can not only be annoying, but even compelling.  If they notice you're drinking non-alcoholic drinks and do start to get on your case, don't break the 30 days.  You can give any one of the many reasons that others have provided above.   But if the 30 days is broken you'll especially regret it when you wake up that first morning after.

Tell them you're pregnant.  That'll get their attention!  Then tell them you're joking and that you just want to take it easy for a bit for XXX reason. 

They'll be so wound up from the joke that the truth will just roll right past them.

Is this how 23 year-olds really act towards someone bettering themselves?  I thought talking friends into drinking ended in highschool or maybe junior high.

nope, unfortunately there's still peer pressure well into your 20s!  not sure about 30s, i'm only 25.  it's a frequent occurance at bars and clubs.

Oh god, it never ends... I get huge pressure from people in their 30s and 40s to drink with them.  What I usually do is start with a vodka tonic (which looks like water) and then after that order water with lime.  Then everyone thinks I am still drinking vodka tonic!  They are usually getting drunk and don't notice that I am still stone sober.  Or sometimes if I am laughing at them, I may seem silly/tipsy.

I'm also trying to not drink for a little while to see if I can - I'm on the third week, and I have lost some weight (to be fair, I'm also eating a lot more healthily than I have in the past).  Probably because I'm not having 2 glasses of wine every night with my dinner.  Plus more on the weekends.  One of my friends doesn't drink due to health issues, but she does the cranberry juice with soda thing too, so no one hassles her about being sober.  I think I'm going to have to try that next time I go to a bar!

Abstaining or sustaining FROM drinking alcohol I believe mean the same thing. Maybe I am wrong. Anyhow... yes I feel more pressure now than when I was in high school. I guess b/c drinking wasn't everywhere. Now it's happy hours, parties, wedding receptions, going to the bars, etc. My friend has done the no drinking for 30 days a couple of times w/ her boyfriend, but they don't go out when they do it.

Question for those of you who have done it: I am going to a winery w/ my best friend the last weekend in May. Will having one glass of wine there throw off the plan? I mean I know I won't gain from one glass, but is it okay?