Anyone else here a teetotaler?

Dr. Bre · 19-08-2019 05:58PM

No I’m a Geetotalor

SlowBlowin · 19-08-2019 06:03PM

I must admit whenever I give up drinking completely I feel much better generally, get people saying I look younger, and I wonder why I drink at all.

I have given up completely twice now, once in in 2007 for a full week, then again this year for 4 days about 2 months ago.

Strumms · 19-08-2019 06:06PM

I’m enjoying not drinking. Gave up due to health issues that I’m 90% out the other side of... don’t miss it. I’d be in the pub 3 times a week but limit myself to Diet Coke. I don’t miss the hangovers. Enjoying having copious amounts of energy, clarity, fitness and health. I intend to keep in that way.

gilmour · 19-08-2019 06:16PM

Quit over 16 years ago at the age of 21, had no choice it was life or death. Used to be one of the lads who would scorn at people who didnt drink or even didnt drink enough or fast enough around me because ultimately it made me feel insecure about the problem that i was having with it.

I have to say though i've had more positive feedback than negative over the years, in fact if anything i get a lot of people who want to have a private conversation about their own drinking and the damage its doing to them when they find out why i don't drink.

But anyone who presses the issue (it was always women by the way :pac: ) i see it as a pretty accurate indicator that they're not the type of person i want or need in my life and go on about my business, lifes too short to feel like you have to please others.

Strumms · 19-08-2019 06:34PM

If anyone thought it right and proper to look down on someone for not drinking... well let’s just say it would be the last conversation I’d be having with them you’d be some seriously stupid fûck if you want to base your judgement towards someone on the basis of them drinking or not.. that’s simply Neanderthal behavior...if someone on the other hand wants to go drinking five nights a week that’s their business I’d think no less of them either... their body, their life...

Graces7 · 19-08-2019 06:51PM

looksee wrote: »

Why is it anyone else's business. I can understand someone with a drink problem deciding to consciously go tt, but even then it should not be necessary to have to explain yourself. And there is something a bit prissy about the Pioneer movement - don't drink if you don't want to, but you don't have to join a club and make a production of it. The rest of us don't care if you choose to drink or not.

If I feel like having a drink - alcoholic or otherwise - I will have one, I don't need anyone's approval and I don't expect anyone to comment on it, or comment if I refuse one.

I had not heard of the Pioneer movement, not being Irish, until one day here when the bus was dropping the neighbour who is a serious overdrinker off at his house. The driver asked me if I drank and I said no and he asked if I had been a lifelong Pioneer.

It may well help some folk get off drink and stay off it? Like AA?

looksee · 19-08-2019 07:55PM

That was the original intention, it was introduced by a Priest as a follow on to an earlier temperance movement to get men who drank their wages off the drink, and fair enough. It was a sort of early AA. It has been corrupted since - what else is new? - and children making their confirmation are asked to take the pledge not to drink until they are 18.

Again, fair enough in itself, but there used to be something creepy - and it annoyed the hell out of me - about the teachers taking children who practised songs in school to go and put on a Pioneer 'show' with added local entertainers, some evening in some remote Parish Hall. They were always very badly organised and would still be going on at 11 at night when the children had to be at school the next day, and parents hanging around waiting to take them home. I have no idea why they felt the need to do these shows. I lost patience one time at gone 11 pm and went in (I refused to sit through the tortuous evening, I would wait in the car) and rooted my two out and took them home - they still hadn't done their 'performance'.

I used get very irritated by the sanctimonious besoms who never missed a chance to flaunt their virtue and their Pioneer pin.

And I was never much of a drinker anyway! You can tell it gets me riled up still!

KatyMac · 19-08-2019 08:23PM

14dMoney wrote: »

I always found it unbelievably frustrating trying to round people up at the end of the night though.

Even drunk my friends knew if they were messing I wouldn't hesitate to leave them to find their own way home. Only happened once!!!!

Leg End Reject · 19-08-2019 08:36PM

14dMoney wrote: »

I'm 26 so I do get the anode comments quite a bit.

That's positive!

19-08-2019 08:51PM

I'm not a tee-totaler, but have mentioned here before I do an annual month/ 6 weeks off the drink to test myself to make sure I'm not an alcoholic. I'm pretty sure my drinking is moderate-normal, but that's also what an alcoholic would say.

This year I'm taking September off drinking, so the Boards Beers will be the last Hurrah for a month, maybe 6 weeks. Any chance a few others might be interested in doing it?

I don't do Dry January because it's not a real challenge -- nobody is going out because they're broke, and people in your social circle are probably doing it too.

Having said that, it would be interesting if a few here were also interested in it, because we could compare notes and experiences whilst also not being in the same social circles.

Arghus · 19-08-2019 11:11PM

I like a few pints, but I can live without it easily enough.

I don't really drink to excess any more on a night out, I might stay out all night but I pace myself. As the years go on my ability to recover from a mad session is definitely in decline - it's never really worth it anymore.

RhubarbCrumble · 19-08-2019 11:34PM

Gregory Angry Pension wrote: »

Mrs S is a life long Pioneer. Very handy when we're out socialising, as I always have a designated driver. Every home should have a teetotaller.

Mr Crumble doesn't drink either. I'm not a big drinker myself, but as you say always good to have your life home sorted

Graces7 · 20-08-2019 06:28AM

looksee wrote: »

That was the original intention, it was introduced by a Priest as a follow on to an earlier temperance movement to get men who drank their wages off the drink, and fair enough. It was a sort of early AA. It has been corrupted since - what else is new? - and children making their confirmation are asked to take the pledge not to drink until they are 18.

Again, fair enough in itself, but there used to be something creepy - and it annoyed the hell out of me - about the teachers taking children who practised songs in school to go and put on a Pioneer 'show' with added local entertainers, some evening in some remote Parish Hall. They were always very badly organised and would still be going on at 11 at night when the children had to be at school the next day, and parents hanging around waiting to take them home. I have no idea why they felt the need to do these shows. I lost patience one time at gone 11 pm and went in (I refused to sit through the tortuous evening, I would wait in the car) and rooted my two out and took them home - they still hadn't done their 'performance'.

I used get very irritated by the sanctimonious besoms who never missed a chance to flaunt their virtue and their Pioneer pin.

And I was never much of a drinker anyway! You can tell it gets me riled up still!

All this is new to me! Never heard the like! A PIN?

s7ryf3925pivug · 20-08-2019 06:34AM

No I like beer.

s7ryf3925pivug · 20-08-2019 06:35AM

Ophelia Fancy Hallway wrote: »

No I like beer.

Wow, what a great post, why can't I thank it!!??

s7ryf3925pivug · 20-08-2019 06:35AM

Ophelia Fancy Hallway wrote: »

Wow, what a great post, why can't I thank it!!??

I have one account!

20-08-2019 06:39AM

Ophelia Fancy Hallway wrote: »

I have one account!

Im eating my breakfast Kate.

Wanderer78 · 20-08-2019 07:04AM

14dMoney wrote: »

Why did you decide? How long ago?

few years ago, mental health reasons

Inventive User Name · 20-08-2019 07:11AM

I've never drank. When I was a teenager, the peer pressure from my friends actually had the opposite effect! I didn't want to drink just because other people were telling me I should. I'm now 27 and still haven't. I've always been interested in health & fitness so that's probably had an Influence as well. Suppose I'm a bit of an oddball because I've never craved it either.

Ave Sodalis · 20-08-2019 07:21AM

I've never really drank. I've gotten drunk to see what it's like and to keep the whingers at bay, but otherwise, I'm happy enough to go out sober.

Like others, I just never liked the taste of alcohol and every alcoholic drink tastes pretty much the same. I used to drink lucozade but it tastes worse than alcohol now! Kopperberg does an alcohol free drink that's quite nice, so now that's my drink of choice.

Bandana boy · 20-08-2019 12:57PM

I often go weeks and months without a drink and can respect people who abstain on a night out if they have a busy day next day ,but somebody who never drinks I do not trust.

I build a storey in my head that they are monsters and the drink unleashes that side of them and they are keeping it hidden , but they are still those monsters .
or you know they may not like the taste , but seriously serial killer monsters is more likely.

Mister Vain · 20-08-2019 01:48PM

It seems to be more acceptable nowadays. Years ago you were as dry as an African footpath if you didn't drink.

20-08-2019 01:55PM

Bandana boy wrote: »

I often go weeks and months without a drink and can respect people who abstain on a night out if they have a busy day next day ,but somebody who never drinks I do not trust.

I build a storey in my head that they are monsters and the drink unleashes that side of them and they are keeping it hidden , but they are still those monsters .
or you know they may not like the taste , but seriously serial killer monsters is more likely.

Its called insight and maturity realising that drink and or drugs leads them to do things that are not happy with, make them aggressive, violent or nasty and they just decide its not for them.

I know soemone who gave up for no particular reason and then realised they never liked alcohol much anyway no amazing revelations or anything.

Turquoise Hexagon Sun · 20-08-2019 02:42PM

Bandana boy wrote:

...

I build a story in my head that they are monsters and the drink unleashes that side of them and they are keeping it hidden , but they are still those monsters .
or you know they may not like the taste , but seriously serial killer monsters is more likely.

looksee · 20-08-2019 09:57PM

I have had a 'hangover' from 7up, just the one bottle, only non-alcohol they had, don't drink soft drinks now!

RhubarbCrumble · 20-08-2019 10:03PM

looksee wrote: »

I have had a 'hangover' from 7up, just the one bottle, only non-alcohol they had, don't drink soft drinks now!

I had a Godawful headache one morning after 2 bottles of strawberry&lime Kopperberg the night before. It wasn't the alcohol but the sugar.

20-08-2019 10:06PM

I'm not teetotal, I'll have the very occasional drink but it's very rare. I do get sick of being the designated driver, it's like herding cats if you have a few rogue giddy people you need to corral into the car when all they want to do is make one last, very important, slurred point to the complete stranger they've planned to take over the world with, and whose name they can't remember.

20-08-2019 10:17PM

RhubarbCrumble wrote: »

I had a Godawful headache one morning after 2 bottles of strawberry&lime Kopperberg the night before. It wasn't the alcohol but the sugar.

'Twas, aye.

"I think I ate a dodgy burger", groaned Rhubarb the morning after he downed eleven bottles Bicardi Breezers and several vodka tonics.

Yer Da sells Avon · 20-08-2019 10:20PM

I rarely drink. If I'm out, I prefer the comfort of being able to drive home at the end of the night. And if I'm at home, I'd rather just have a mug of tea. While I don't get drunk easily, a sniff of drink is enough to give me a hangover so bad you could almost take a photograph of it.

HappyAsLarE · 20-08-2019 10:20PM

I’ve become an alcoholic in the past couple of weeks. Half bottle of whiskey every evening. Cheaper than the drug habit.

Anyone else here a teetotaler?

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