Suggestions wanted for new non-drinkers!

Mimojo

Hi all

Im not sure if this is the place to post this, and Mods feel free to move if needed.

In the past 3 years or so me and my OH have gotten into the habit of drinking at home on a Friday and sometimes Saturday night. When we were earning more we used to enjoy a busy social life, with regular nights out, trips etc.

With the recession the amount of money coming in is seriously less, and having cut down a lot on nights out etc. we generally just have a couple of drinks at the weekend now.

The thing is that we both feel we are stuck in a bit of a rut now, and would love to knock drinking on the head, and get fit and feel better.

We have also recently been invited to a friends wedding abroad next summer, and would really really love to go. Right now we know that we cant afford it, but if we could give up drink and really save we think we could do it. It would be tough but worth it.

With this motivation/goal we really want to stick to it, however don't know what we are going to fill out weekends with instead! We are so used to doing the same thing at weekends, that without having a few drinks/going out I guess we need some new hobbies.

We both enjoy reading, films and cookery and would love any suggestions of things we could do / get involved in. We are hoping to increase our fitness levels in the next couple of months having purchased an exercise bike and starting to go out walking, but right now don't think we are ready for something too active.

Any suggestions would be more than welcome, which are economically and help us save some money!

barglee83

I guess it really depends on what you are interested in.
I would suggest maybe a hill walking club? Usually clubs have different levels so even if not too fit they would do 'easy' walks. The walks would usually be a few hours so it means an early start usually Sunday and home sometime in the afternoon.

So I guess an early night Saturday for the early start and then relaxing night after a long healthy walk in the countryside on Sunday. Best of all you will feel great after it. And of course it is pretty much free so You will be able to save money!

Sunnyisland

That problem of not knowing what to do with yourself when you aren't drinking is common to most of us. But then we aren't doing anything when we sit and get drunk. It's just that we don't care after a glass or two, whereas when we're sober we are aware of the inactivity. Keeping busy is a good thing, especially if you can take up something new that you like.As barglee83 has said going walking is one way,actually exercise is great for your mind and body,also reading more,reactivating an old hobby,Is there any places that you would like to visit in city/countryside, jumping on a bus is an inexpensive way to travel around.Goodluck The two of you can do it together.

sobertales

I'm new enough to the non-drinking aspect of life too - for the same reason - I simply can't afford it... the only thing is that I'm single so am a bit limited in the things that I can do!

I've been thinking alot about this and some options are:
- Hillwalking, Beaches and cycling - its amazing what you see when you get out of the car in this stunning country.
- Pub quizzes, you don't have to be drinking to enjoy these, the entry fee is free and you can stand to win money!
- Do it like the tourists do - get out and see your locality - luckily I live in Dublin so am planning to do all the touristy things and hopefully will pick up a few other curious non drinkers along the way.
- Cinema - great non drinking pass-time (can be a bit expensive but nothing compared to a night out) and its just plain old romantic. My local cinema back home has a film club thats fab. Old fashioned cinema, owner with a passion for film comes in and give his two cents - crowd becomes like a family!
- Bowling - again a great nights entertainment for under €25.
- Gigs - broaden your horizons - Purty Kitchen in Temple bar does Jazz on a Sunday evening from 6-9 - how about chilling back with a cuppa coffee with your beau and taking in that fab sound.
- Play's and Theatre - there are loads of small theatre groups all over the country struggling to survive - your tenner could go a long way and you get a lovely nights entertainment. For that fact if you both love films and I know this is a stretch but would you consider joining your local theatre group!
- Volunteer - Can be really rewarding and you can often learn new skills yourself by volunteering. You don't have to turn into mother theresa overnight but giving an hour to two to a social charity could turn into something of a passion.
- Join a book club - make new friends, new horizons & new books!

I'm sure there's so much more... I keep thinking of the foreign students around Dublin - they are so full of the joy of life, most don't drink, they enjoy each others company and seem to really appreciate the beauty of Dublin. Often I think us Irish are blinded by the end of the pint glass... Ahyem... mini rant over... :rolleyes: Hope some of this helps!

Bassfish

sobertales wrote: »

I'm new enough to the non-drinking aspect of life too - for the same reason - I simply can't afford it... the only thing is that I'm single so am a bit limited in the things that I can do!

I've been thinking alot about this and some options are:
- Hillwalking, Beaches and cycling - its amazing what you see when you get out of the car in this stunning country.
- Pub quizzes, you don't have to be drinking to enjoy these, the entry fee is free and you can stand to win money!
- Do it like the tourists do - get out and see your locality - luckily I live in Dublin so am planning to do all the touristy things and hopefully will pick up a few other curious non drinkers along the way.
- Cinema - great non drinking pass-time (can be a bit expensive but nothing compared to a night out) and its just plain old romantic. My local cinema back home has a film club thats fab. Old fashioned cinema, owner with a passion for film comes in and give his two cents - crowd becomes like a family!
- Bowling - again a great nights entertainment for under €25.
- Gigs - broaden your horizons - Purty Kitchen in Temple bar does Jazz on a Sunday evening from 6-9 - how about chilling back with a cuppa coffee with your beau and taking in that fab sound.
- Play's and Theatre - there are loads of small theatre groups all over the country struggling to survive - your tenner could go a long way and you get a lovely nights entertainment. For that fact if you both love films and I know this is a stretch but would you consider joining your local theatre group!
- Volunteer - Can be really rewarding and you can often learn new skills yourself by volunteering. You don't have to turn into mother theresa overnight but giving an hour to two to a social charity could turn into something of a passion.
- Join a book club - make new friends, new horizons & new books!

I'm sure there's so much more... I keep thinking of the foreign students around Dublin - they are so full of the joy of life, most don't drink, they enjoy each others company and seem to really appreciate the beauty of Dublin. Often I think us Irish are blinded by the end of the pint glass... Ahyem... mini rant over... :rolleyes: Hope some of this helps!

Good post, I find it's a good idea to have things to do that you would not do if you were drinking like; hitting the gym or going for a spin sunday morning. Try not to ever think of going off drink in terms of denying yourself something you enjoy, look at it in terms of opening up possibilities and experiences that you would not be able to enjoy because of the cost of drinking or the time it takes up in terms of nights out and hangovers.

languagenerd

It sounds like you're giving up drinking for money reasons and not because you're trying to beat alcoholism. In that case there's nothing to say you can't still go to pubs/clubs without drinking.

I can't really promise that they'll be as much fun without drinking because I never drank, but I still go to bars and clubs with my friends and I've had some great (and hilarious) nights when I've been the only non-drinker . If you like the music or the general vibe, the drink doesn't really matter.

There's a misconception in Ireland that if you're a non-drinker, you can't go out and have to stick to the "boring" past-times.

I guess if you feel going to a pub will make you feel like you have to drink alcohol, then it's a good idea to avoid them; but if not, don't rule it out. That said, some bars really milk it with their soft-drink prices

Wingman2010

sobertales wrote: »

I'm new enough to the non-drinking aspect of life too - for the same reason - I simply can't afford it... the only thing is that I'm single so am a bit limited in the things that I can do!

I've been thinking alot about this and some options are:
- Hillwalking, Beaches and cycling - its amazing what you see when you get out of the car in this stunning country.
- Pub quizzes, you don't have to be drinking to enjoy these, the entry fee is free and you can stand to win money!
- Do it like the tourists do - get out and see your locality - luckily I live in Dublin so am planning to do all the touristy things and hopefully will pick up a few other curious non drinkers along the way.
- Cinema - great non drinking pass-time (can be a bit expensive but nothing compared to a night out) and its just plain old romantic. My local cinema back home has a film club thats fab. Old fashioned cinema, owner with a passion for film comes in and give his two cents - crowd becomes like a family!
- Bowling - again a great nights entertainment for under €25.
- Gigs - broaden your horizons - Purty Kitchen in Temple bar does Jazz on a Sunday evening from 6-9 - how about chilling back with a cuppa coffee with your beau and taking in that fab sound.
- Play's and Theatre - there are loads of small theatre groups all over the country struggling to survive - your tenner could go a long way and you get a lovely nights entertainment. For that fact if you both love films and I know this is a stretch but would you consider joining your local theatre group!
- Volunteer - Can be really rewarding and you can often learn new skills yourself by volunteering. You don't have to turn into mother theresa overnight but giving an hour to two to a social charity could turn into something of a passion.
- Join a book club - make new friends, new horizons & new books!

I'm sure there's so much more... I keep thinking of the foreign students around Dublin - they are so full of the joy of life, most don't drink, they enjoy each others company and seem to really appreciate the beauty of Dublin. Often I think us Irish are blinded by the end of the pint glass... Ahyem... mini rant over... :rolleyes: Hope some of this helps!

Really good post. I took up cycling last year and I did that every Saturday and Sunday morning when I was otherwise in bed. I was back out this evening in the park. So enjoyable and great exercise. I also go to the cinema a lot. Recently I started going to 'the new theatre' in the temple bar. A great evening will be had for €10. I also go to comedy clubs sometimes. I could go on. Plenty of alternatives out there

Bassfish

Wingman2010 wrote: »

Really good post. I took up cycling last year and I did that every Saturday and Sunday morning when I was otherwise in bed. I was back out this evening in the park. So enjoyable and great exercise. I also go to the cinema a lot. Recently I started going to 'the new theatre' in the temple bar. A great evening will be had for €10. I also go to comedy clubs sometimes. I could go on. Plenty of alternatives out there

Small theatres can be great, you can often get to see like 3 short plays in 2 hours for under a tenner which is great value compared to the big theatres. Something i've started doing again is going to gigs. Over the last few years i've become shamefully out of touch with the cork music scene and even though the gigs would be in pubs and clubs I would avoid going to them as paying €10 for a gig would add to the cost of an already dear night out. Now when I wouldn't spend more than a tenner on drinks on a night it becomes a great thing to do for a night out.