Question for the non drinkers

never been much of a drinker

wost avoid it, usually decline

I can respect that.

Realized I was on a path that appeared to be accelerating toward a place I did not like..
Binge drinking was becoming unpredictable and more often.
Started at age 14…stopped at age 57.. drunk every weekend between and many many week days..

Stopped cold turkey.. fortunately it was still a choice and not dependency… have not had alcohol for over eight years..

I liked drinking and getting drunk.. but that is now history.. it was good when I controlled it but that was changing.

I really do enjoy the stuff. I’m a situational drinker though. If I’m cooking, mowing, etc I like to have a beer. I try not to mix whiskey, just get a good one and a few pieces of ice. I drink less when the weather cools off.

Never really drank much.

Have a drink now like every month or two.

I think it is largely a waste of money

There wasn’t a single person in my high school graduating class that didn’t drink at least occasionally

I drank whiskey and orange juice almost every day. The drinks were very weak and I never was a drunk that would fall down and puked my guts out. I have trouble falling asleep and a vodka and orange juice that was very weak would help me fall asleep faster. One day I thought why am I drinking? I once had a job that was quite stressful. I think that job pushed me to drink, Two years ago I put the bottle down for good. A year later I went to the doctor for my annual check up. He took blood samples and sent them to the lab. When the lab results came back, the doctor asked me if I took a lot of pain relivers. I told him that I didn't. He then asked me if I drank.I told him that I used to but I haven't drank alcohol in two years. He said he asked me those questions because the lab results told him that I have cirrhosis of the liver. I brought this bad liver on myself. I am to blame for what I did to my liver.

Drugs were my main vice (quaaludes, crack, Xanax, valium, LSD, hash, barbiturates, benzos, weed, Soma, etc .....) didn't matter what it was, I used ALL types of drugs to get Fk'd up. Every time I was using, I ALWAYS had some kind of drink in my hand. Turned down college wrestling scholarships to attend LSU and party like a rock star. By age 19, I had several encounters with overdosing and my addiction was getting worse. I was miserable and made the decision to put myself in treatment. Been sober for 35+ years as my sobriety date is 12/27/87. I still live one day at a time, pray the Serenity Prayer daily, and share my story with complete strangers. We all know a best friend, cousin, high school classmate, co-worker, colleague, etc ... who died from some form of alcohol abuse, drug addiction, or suicide due to mental health & drug issues. God gave me a second chance to help others and hopefully make an impression to save at least one person's life.

Since getting sober, I've been a pall bearer and buried 9 close friends who I once partied with. 6 OD'd and 3 committed suicide as they were all still using. All were under 50 years old, and most had wives and children. Even after 3+ decades of being sober, I occasionally get the urge to smoke a big fatty laced with cocaine and hash oil. I have to remind myself that I'm an addict and with my luck, I'd probably smoke something laced with Fentanyl and die. For me, it ain't worth it (using/drinking) as sobriety has been good to me. I don't judge others' decisions to drink or smoke weed. If you can do it recreationally and it not effect your business or personal life, more power to you

Drank a lot in college, cut back but still drank plenty until I was around 30. I’m 39 now, have a kid and another on the way. The thought of getting wasted just doesn’t appeal to me anymore. It wasn’t some conscious effort to cut back but life happened and I did it organically. I’ll get tipsy every couple months or so and I’ll have a drink or two maybe once a week but haven’t been what I’d call drunk in a few years now.

Never drank, not even in the Navy. I've never seen the point of drunkenness and alcohol is expensive relative to any other drink I can have.