The holidays are approaching and you risk being asked by friends or relatives to “have a drink”? If you don’t want to drink alcohol, whatever the reason, there are some simple answers you should know, so you don’t feel pressured to reach for the outstretched glass.
During a festive gathering, or during end-of-year holiday meals, it is not uncommon to appear like an alien if you refuse to have a drink. It is not easy to respect one’s desire to drink less – or to no longer drink at all – if we fear the thoughts of loved ones or family members, who push us, consciously or not, to imitate their behavior and consumption, such as a sort of “validation of the meaning of the celebration”. So how to do it concretely?
Make a little joke
If you don’t want to drink from the outstretched glass, just to please the person in front of you, try to play a joke on them, in order to deflect their request. You can bring up your excessive drinking from the previous days or joke about your dancing, which won’t improve with one more drink.
Brag about not drinking
Refusing alcohol at a party will surely make you look like a killjoy. Show your loved ones that, on the contrary, you have never felt better than when you don’t drink. You can tell them about the benefits it has had on your body, for example, or the nice feeling of not waking up with a hangover the next day.
Shift the proposal
If someone insists on getting you a drink, systematically delay the offer by telling them that we will see later, in the evening, if we really need that drink. By experiencing several refusals, these people will eventually get tired of it and no longer offer it to you.
Tell a little lie
It’s bad, but sometimes telling a little lie helps you get out of this type of situation. Don’t say you’re pregnant if it’s not true, but pretending that you have to drive or that you’re taking antibiotics that you can’t drink with can help you get away with it. of this bad step, without too much damage.
Clearly explain your sobriety
Remember that it is important to follow your feelings and systematically refuse to drink if you don’t want to. At this time, it is possible to talk openly about it, explaining why you have chosen to reduce or eliminate your alcohol consumption. The best way to ensure that the situation does not happen again in the future.
Slide: 10 Signs You Have a Drinking Problem