Why I do not drink?

Living in Dublin City can be incredibly stressful. The hectic workdays and nights chasing your dreams can grow tiring. Many people don’t make it, move back home with their parents and throw in the 'life' towel. Others achieve their dreams. Somewhere in between this spectrum, though, some people like to sit down after a hard day of work and enjoy a nice cold drink.

It has come to my knowledge in the past month, that people ask me a question on repeat, 'Why do you not drink?'. This is what lead me to write this artcile.

I’m a 29-year-old woman living in Dublin City chasing my pipe dream & achieving it and I have also never had a drop of alcohol in the last year and a half. I’ve never touched any kind of drug either before you ask.Before I go any further, let me answer the most common questions that people tend to have when I drop this information on them:

No, I am not in a world cult.

No, I am not sick.

No, I’m not a Mormon.

Now that we have that out of the way, let me explain why I don’t drink or do drugs. Simply, it just doesn’t interest me. I’ve weighed the pros and cons, and the pros FAR outweigh the cons. It’s healthier not to do it, it’s cheaper, I always remember where I leave stuff, I’ve never broken or lost a phone, I’ve never hooked up with a guy, who when I awoke, looked completely different than I thought, I can always drive, I’ve never puked in a public space, so on and so forth.

When it came to the pros of drinking, I had a hard time listing any. As far as I know, people don’t really like the taste, I on the other hand did. Hangovers seem like a nightmare, especially if you are working the next day. And oftentimes, you lose your ability to speak coherently. The only positive that anyone has told me about drinking or doing drugs is, “it’s fun!”

Point taken. You see, as someone who doesn’t drink or do drugs, I still have the 'fun' a lot. There is commonly held assumption that if you don’t drink or do drugs, you look down upon those who do. I don’t. This is just a choice that I’ve made for myself and what I think is best for me.

If you enjoy drinking or doing drugs, go for it! I’m not saying that I’m right about everything or that my way of life is better than any other, I just prefer to live this way. I acknowledge that drinking and doing drugs look like a lot of fun and the stories I’m told about going out drinking are usually hilarious. It’s just that I have chosen to change in my life. And yes those hilarious stories are my own old drinking ones.

This path I’ve chosen for myself though, presents a lot of challenges. It has affected my life in more areas than I thought it would. There are a lot of mixed feelings when it comes to someone who isn’t interested in drinking or doing drugs, and those feelings come from a lot of different places.

Dating.
A while ago, after one to many failed dates, one of my friends told me that a guy who he knew in the group was interested in me. He gave him my number and we proceeded to text for a while and eventually, decided to meet up.

After we met in a bar,I told him that I didn’t drink and suddenly, the tone of the night was set. It wasn’t about hanging out and getting to know each other anymore, it was about, “Why don’t you just DRINK?!”  “Come on, just have one!”  ”What would it take for you to have a drink?” For all the judgment people assume I put off, I felt pretty judged — and quite uncomfortable.

After that, I tried to arrange hanging out with dates at another location. This seemed like the straight forward thing to do- until I realized I was changing for someone, cue me saying 'If you don't like that fact I do not drink, well I aint giving up pubs, nightclubs to make anyone comfortable'.

Work.
Honestly, a good few of you who read my blog know I would as a Personal Assailant and also in Festivals and Events, most who work with me know I am loud,crazy and loads of fun. So in this case not drinking is the norm for me in work now, yes the crazy lady who works in events who doesn't drink, but sure I am always remembered!

Friends.
I have friends who go out drinking often — on any given night of the week, I always get an invite. Apparently, because I don't drink it does not bother anyone among my friends. Just because I don’t drink, doesn’t mean I don’t ever want to go out. So if there are good friends they will include you!

I like going out and being around friends, whether they are drinking or not. If I like their company, odds are, I want to be around them. Inevitably, there will be the joke to the effect of, “I’ll have a beer and she’ll have a beer and this girl, right here, will have a WATER!” It’s hilarious. After that, however, I do have the ability to function and speak with people who are drinking. Yes, I enjoy hearing the same story on repeat :)

Abstaining from alcohol and drugs has been one of the decisions I’ve made for myself. Still, I can’t help but imagine what my life would be like if I had just jumped on the bandwagon again. I can’t help but wonder if I’d be happier or if I’d have more friends — heck, maybe I would have less mates.

All in all, what I do know is I am happy, and each time I am out with friends.... Im 100% me!