[olcor]

Personally I have a very simple rule. I don't drink alcohol, and I don't need to have a reason for it. I tend not to give any single reason if anyone asks me about it; just any excuse on top of my head. Most of the time it suffices. The times it doesn't, I give up and let them think whatever they deem fit.

I have no issues against alcohol and people who drink. If people want to judge me on my teetotalism, it's up to them, but their judgement is not going to have any effect on my choice. I made mine and I'm going to stick to it.

I've found that Stoicism helps a lot in dealing with this. The choice to drink is in your hands. Other people's thoughts are theirs, and different people will think differently. You can only control whether you drink or not, so leave the judgement (if any) to others and don't think too much about it.

[Pilottwave]

While you dont have to explain yourself for not drinking. I am intrigued as to why you chose this no drinking rule for yourself. Care to share?

[fyfy18]

Not OP, but my story is I was living in a Middle Eastern country for a few years - although you could get alcohol at hotels it was expensive and there was basically no selection (usually only Carlsberg on tap, and similar beers in bottles). So I didn't bother drinking when I was there. It made me realise that I could have fun and socialise without alcohol.

When I came back to Europe I tried drinking a few times, but I didn't really like it. As I hadn't been drinking, even one beer would make me feel so bad and dehydrated the next day (certain non-alcoholic beers do the same, so I don't think it is necessarily the alcohol). My wife was in the same situation, and then got pregnant so she also wasn't drinking. In the end I drifted away from my old friends who I would drink with, and made new friends who were happy to do things other than drinking.

Admittedly it does make certain social situations a bit awkward (my co-working space has a weekly beer night, although I'm usually not the only one who doesn't drink), but overall I don't miss drinking. Looking back the only reason I drank before was due to peer pressure; I never felt having a cold beer after work was a very effective relaxation technique.

[mewpmewp2]

For me personally, I do not like the idea of impairing my cognitive functions. And I have done very cringy things while drunk. I regret it every time the following day. Bad sleep, anxiety, depression afterwards. Unproductive following day. Unnecessary calories. Setbacks in gym. So many reasons, honestly.

[slau]

Not OP, but I have (virtually) the same rule. I’m averaging about 3 beers a year, and only when I really, _really_ feel like it.

I don’t have a specific reason for it. The one reason most people seem to accept is when I say “I don’t like the feeling of losing control”, although that’s only partially it. Another one that comes up is “I don’t need that to have fun”. Although I grew up in France and Belgium, I don’t like the taste of either wine or beer.

I completely agree with OP though: I don’t frankly care when people judge me for not drinking.

[nkuttler]

I find it interesting that you think this is noteworthy. On a global scale half of the adults don't drink alcohol. In the US around a quarter of all men and a third of women don't drink.

[olcor_]

Not a direct answer, but my original account has been broken into, the password has been changed, and the poster is making bad comments. Not sure how to handle that.

[0DHm2CxO7Lb3]

When I feel good my body and heart has a slight euphoric feeling and alcohol moves me further away from that. I used to drink but sort of just gradually reduced it over time after meeting friends who didn't drink, it wasn't really a conscious decision though, just going by what makes me feel good

[auganov]

If someone asks me I'll answer fully and honestly. I don't like all recreational drug use, think it's a waste of time and potentially dangerous to yourself and others. Then I'll share a bunch of statistics about how alcohol is responsible for 3.5% of all cancer deaths. And how even small levels of consumption increase the risk.

I'm not going to stop anyone from doing this, but if they're asking my opinion already then I'll let them know I think it's a bad idea.

[lovemenot]

Personally, I have not chosen not to drink alcohol. But I have made a couple of different life choices. Equally arbitrary from others' perspective. And equally alienating. (Less than 10% of peers).

I hadn't known about Stoicism, but had discovered this concept for myself.

Perhaps some of those who are asking why you made this choice are missing the point. It's arbitrary and doesn't require justification to them. No more than their (and my) converse decision to drink alcohol needs to be justified to you.