When you're on holiday, how do you cope without having a drink? The group of people who I holiday with are incredibly heavy drinkers, and this means that it is always a constant struggle to try and stay away from that type of culture. So, I am here looking for tips and advice. How do I go about ignoring this? And how do I get them to leave me alone and accept the fact that I do not want to drink alcohol - at all - anymore?
It's hard for sure, if your circle of friends are all drinkers. Are you holidaying somewhere that driving is necessary? One of the biggest tips I found is to volunteer designated driving duties - everyone who drinks is over the moon to have someone prepared and sober, to drive them from point A to point B. Just a suggestion - I'm sure others will have great tips.
The key to coping on holiday is to make smart planning. Who are you hanging out with? What activities to you have planned? The answer to this will determine the success or failure.
When there's no way you can avoid someone then the only way to stop them from trying to get you to drink is by being honest with them. Tell them you don't drink anymore and firm about it. They'll not bother you after you demand that they let you be. Here's a cute quote @OP: All the best!
You have to make it clear to them before you even go that you no longer drink and you would appreciate if they didn't keep forcing it on you. Find other activities to do while on holidays that don't involve alcohol. I know it is not much fun being around people who are drunk when you are the only sober one. They don't realize how annoying they really are. Just stay strong and enjoy your holiday.
I'm a very light drinker and can't consume large quantities of alcohol. I just drink enough to get a buzz and then steer clear of the stuff for the rest of evening. I never drink during the day, even when I'm on holiday. Although day drinking is quite common down here in South Africa. I think one solution to reduce alcohol is to replace it with a non-alcoholic drink that you may enjoy. Hope that helps.
Always tell you have some places to drive to later and that you don't want to risk a DUI. Most people will respect that, unless they are a**holes. If they continue to press you to have a drink, look them point blank in the face and tell them that you don't to.
Love this advice - honesty is always the best policy - and if they keep pushing and pushing you to drink then they're probably not the kind of people you need in your life anyway, right?
Well, after rehab I changed a lot of my friends, simply because I couldn't stay near them anymore. They used to drink and smoke too much, and that made me uncomfortable. Whenever we have parties on holidays we all hang out, eat and drink (non-alcoholic drinks) without any issues.
I think that it is important to have a limit on holiday as the mind can make the person think that they need more alcohol and also the person needs to be aware of what the cost is, as they can spend more money than needed and also I reckon that it is best to set a budget which can make be a good thing. It is something we should think about in the holidays we take as it can make us consume more alcohol, and also think about what is put into the drink as being drunk and also we need to check what drink is put into the glass. I hope that it will be interesting to see how we control ourselves when we are on holiday which can make the mind and body control itself and try and have fruits and soft drinks which are good for us and limit alcohol.
I think that just by simply telling them that you don't drink anymore then they should understand you, otherwise you are better off avoiding them. If they insist, then you should just walk away from them.
If you're at liberty to host the party, you can control the policy of whether alcohol is allowed or not. That always helps. If someone else is hosting a party, be sure to mention to them that you don't drink or would like to avoid that as much as possible. If they can set some of the rules and the tone for a house party, that can help, too. If neither of those is a choice, then you may have to be around it, but if you're ready to be, then be strong and test your strength. Remember why you dislike it when you see it, and think of everything it takes away from you so that you won't want it. If people are talking about drinking, change the subject on them politely or not and steer the conversation into other things so that it's not something that you or other people are thinking about as much. All of these are things I've done at house parties and other places to make it easier to manage.
If we are taking about a party, it's unusual that alcohol is not involved, so better find another activity or one that doesn't involve alcohol, that's way safer.
I didn't ignore it. I just waited till I got home and drank alone. It gets some getting used to, but once you do, it's easy to avoid drinking with friends at parties or in public. Making a scene in public has always been my main problem with alcohol, so I just don't do it anymore, no matter how much pressure I get from people., because I know that if I do, I'll really regret it the next morning.
if you really want to quit you will need strong will and these occasions are the best way to prove to yourself that you got what it takes. I have to say it is not easy at all but I managed to have few drops and it was unintentional. Almost as if I forgot to have a problem and just drank a glass of beer. that was all and I felt okay. i guess I am making progress and since it was not so prominent in the first place I believe it will be just fine. Hope you all manage to control your needs and beat this problem.
When the family is not drinking it's a big luck, but if we have people drinking around us we need to plan and try to avoid dangerous situations for us.
Part of my wife's side of the family really likes to indulge. Typically this means lots of booze and cigarettes and I think marijuana too. Now I am lucky because her sister is pregnant so this year they only smoked in the garage. But in years passed I honestly looked for excuses to either arrive late or leave early. You just have to be strong in knowing who you are, and what you don't want to do. Don't let the "just one" into your life either. If you never drink, then the pressure will gradually fade. BUT as soon as they see you have one drink, that's it you will hear "oh but you had that Coors light in 1993, why won't you drink this whole bottle of rum."
Well, I think the only thing you can do now is to choose not to hang out with this type of people anymore. I know it's really difficult to ditch them just like that, but if they already know that you're trying to stay sober but they would still pressure you to drink, then I don't think they totally understand your situation.
That is correct, it's a matter of choice and changing habits. Sure, changing habits it's the hardest we can do, but if we look at the big picture we realize that we have to do it.