I'm afraid to socialize because i don't drink
I'm a pretty adventurous and social guy, maybe only on the inside anymore
I have never been drunk. I'm not religious, I just grew up around an alcoholic father. My dad is still alive and is many miles away but the real him died a long time ago. I felt it would be my secret homage to the real him, whom I loved so much, if I never touched alcohol. And for 24 years, I haven't. Plus, I don't need alcohol to relax, be silly, get horny, and have fun.
But I feel this largely hinders my sociability. Almost everyone in Texas drinks, and when I say I don't, I feel I become an outcast. I feel like people dislike me or see me as uptight or "mr goody goody." And what makes it worse is that I don't smoke or drug, I try to eat good food, and have no desire to sleep around. Making it all the more harder to prove I'm not uptight. The two girls I dated didnt have a problem with me not drinking, even though they did themselves, but I feel gfs are different
What's worse, weeks ago I was this close to drinking when hanging out with a classmate. The time I knew him and hung out with him I never told him I wasnt a drinker, so he wouldn't be alienated. So when at a sports bar he ordered a beer, I felt strongly obligated to as well. The waitress offered me and I said, "11am? Nah that's a bit too early for me." Thankfully we were watching football so I was able to pretend I was too much into the game.
Maybe I won't end up like my dad if I do end up drinking, but I would dislike myself if I jumped on any bandwagon. That would go against my principles and I couldn't respect myself for doing that.
What do I do? Do never reveal to people I don't drink? What do I tell people the reason I don't drink? The truth? That feels like it would be such a buzzkill.
I spent the entire summer immersed in video games, going to work, coming home. And I can do that for the rest of my life -- but in the midst of it all a part of me wilts away
| Say you don't drink, and tell them the real reason why | 17 | |
| Lie that you're trying to quit | 2 | |
| Pretend you do drink but in reality you don't or you fake it | 3 | |
| Say you don't drink, but in a way that it's not a big deal | 25 |