i don't think most people think passing on alcohol is due to a drinking problem, as john said, i know a lot of people who don't drink due to religious convictions.

i never drank much for a few reasons, even in my college days:

1. hate the taste of beer and that's mostly what was around for free
2. i was poor and so couldn't buy drinks when we went out to the clubs to hear bands play
3. always really messed with my blood sugar. half a glass of wine and i was under the table sound asleep........well, almost.

so, when at a party, used to drink soda. out at a bar, they always have orange juice to mix with drinks, so i'd have OJ. or most bars have ginger ale to mix with drinks, so i'd drink that.

at home, given the choice, its sparkling cider. whenever i buy it, everyone scarfs it down. i never seem to buy enough of that stuff.

i now have my students over to my house for dinner fairly regularly. we also go to meetings together. they are late teens, early 20s. when they are with me, there is a no drinking rule because i am responsible for them and in this day and age, don't want to get sued.

if you miss the drinks because you liked them, i do miss a good glass of wine, that's one thing. but please try not to worry about what others think. the older i get, the more i realize, the only person that notices me, is me. i even read a study that actually said this to be true. most people really don't pay much attention to others.

i gave up the alcohol almost completely when i was 30 and started having trouble with my stomach. then figured i was on so many meds that got processed by my liver, i wanted to keep my liver as healthy as i could. i probably went overboard with the abstinence but that's what i did. occasionally i'll have a sip of my husband's wine if he thinks its particularly good, but that's it. i have found that in the beginning is the hardest to give up anything, be it drink, certain foods, habits, but then you get used to it.

still, i guess everytime we realize one more thing we have to give up, i understand that can be hard.


sue

Spondyloarthropathy, HLAB27 negative
Humira (still methylprednisone for flares, just not as often. Aleve if needed, rarely.)
LDN/zanaflex/flector patches over SI/ice
vits C, D. probiotics. hyaluronic acid. CoQ, Mg, Ca, K.
chiro
walk, bike
no dairy (casein sensitivity), limited eggs, limited yeast (bread)