I drank a fair bit when I was younger, and for a period in my early teens, I drank secretly (not necessary, because my parents never had a problem with alcohol in moderation) and alone. I don’t drink a lot now, because of how good it made me feel then… because I was drinking when I woke up in the morning and couldn’t sleep without a nightcap. So I’ll drink socially, but the second I think to myself ‘I need a drink’, I remove myself from any situation where booze is readily available.

I just got back from a 5 month working vacation in a very remote location, and everyone there drank a lot, because there was nothing else to do. They were, all of them, convinced that I was anti-alcohol because I was so ‘innocent’ and I just didn’t understand what I was missing out on. It was SO annoying.

and wow, glad I’m not the only one who thinks it’s so damn annoying when people think they’re entitled to expect everyone to drink. this JUST happened to me last week. post time.

And thanks again to everyone who commented with their personal experiences – one of the limitations of an alcoholic mind is that (especially when I was drinking) I never noticed that some people just didn’t drink. I felt like everyone drank the way I did (which in college was kinda true), and as I’ve gotten further from my last drink I’ve been able to gravitate towards people who don’t have alcohol problems, instead of finding the hardest drinking person in the room (Drunkdar is an impressive thing

Thank you for that post. You’ve just described the first and second year after I turned 21 and you’ve also helped me make sense along with everyones posts why I lost a really good friend when I decided to sober up: she was still in the problem while I was trying to crawl out. I still occasionally drink but the fact that I don’t even wish to get to buzzed paints people in a different light when I start to catch shit for it. I have by no means completely sworn off but I hope to get there less something happens to me like you’ve bravely described in your post.

Bravo for your choice and for your difficult journey.

I’m wondering if you have read the book “Smashed: The Story of a Drunken Girlhood” by Koren Zailckas. I loved it when I read it in high school, but I feel like her book is about deeper issues than just alcohol abuse. Harpies, has anyone else read this book?

I don’t have abuse issues, I just don’t like the taste of alcohol. I also hated coffee until a few years ago, and I never smoke pot, which makes me nauseous. This did prompt one memorable exchange during a camping trip when, having seen me turn down all three things, one woman demanded to know if I was Mormon, infusing the word with all the disbelief and disdain I usually reserve for pedophiles and people who park in handicap spaces without a permit.

I’ll throw my recommendation in for Drinking: A Love Story. I think it’s a must-read for anyone with an addict in their lives.