Why It's Ok Not To Drink Alcohol
Something that comes up every single Christmas without fail is the question of ‘why don’t you drink?’. And for me, there isn’t any huge reason to why I don’t but it’s often something that can cause quite a mixed reaction from others. As I know that I’m not the only one who feels that there's a certain pressure to consume alcohol it’s something I thought that I would write about today as it’s something that been on my mind for a while.
IT’S A PERSONAL CHOICE
Just like absolutely everything else in life drinking is very much a personal choice. It’s something that some people really love and receive great enjoyment from but for some, they’re just not that fussed but it’s generally seen as quite an odd thing not to partake in. In our society, drinking and going out for a drink is something that is very much normalised so when something goes against that norm it can often lead to uncomfortable questioning. I really cut down on my consumption of alcohol after my twentieth birthday, I got alcohol poisoning and it was one of the scariest things that I've ever experienced. Not having any recollection of what I did the night before and not having any idea of how I got home is something that still scares me now. So ever since that point, I’ve barely drank, and even when I did it was a never a good thing afterwards as I would always have the worst hangovers and lose the day after to vomiting and feeling like the room was spinning.
YOU DON’T NEED ALCOHOL TO HAVE FUN
Whenever the question comes up of not drinking or why you don’t drink it usually comes along with the statement of ‘well I bet you’re a barrel of laughs on a night out then’. And I’m sure we’re all thinking the same thing right now as alcohol shouldn’t be the only way that you can have fun and it’s not. Something that I know I always worried about when I was younger is that I’m a quite a shy human and having a small drink did always help to give me a bit of a confidence boost but I know it’s key that I manage to have that confidence without the aid of alcohol. You can enjoy going out just as much as everyone else and have a dance with your friends on a cool glass of lemonade, it’s much cheaper too! At this point in my life, I can’t say that going out for the evening is my favourite thing, I much prefer staying in with food, the heating on, with the whippets and lots of good conversation.
YOU NEVER HAVE TO JUSTIFY IT
For some they see not drinking as something like a judgement on those who do, like it somehow makes them better and although I’m sure there are some people that feel that way I can safely say for the most part it’s a personal choice that someone has made for themselves. Funnily enough, people seem to take much more concern over someone not doing something than what they’re doing themselves. A personal choice such as this shouldn’t have to be justified to such extreme lengths as ultimately alcohol is a drug that can have serious consequences when not used responsibly. There are so many horror stories about people telling someone that they don’t drink and others take it on themselves to change their drinks or buy them one so they feel obliged to drink it. Whether you don’t drink for a big reason or a little one it’s never something that should be justified to others. One of the biggest reasons why I wanted to write this post now is because we are coming up the season where the most alcohol is consumed and when you don't partake it can make you feel seriously lonely or like you're being judged.
