What do non drinkers do??

bhuaigh1

I gave up drink last year and stuck to it thankfully but seriously I think I preferred life when I was drinking,, my mates and family members view me as a free taxi and I feel like an asshole if I say no all the time, plus being in the pub/club plain sober is just kinda boring after while..

So what do non drinkers do at the weekend for a social life?

Thanks for any ideas:)

the_syco

bhuaigh1 wrote: »

Thanks for any ideas:)

What do you like doing? Include any and all activities, hobbies, and a rough location, and people should be able to give tips on what you might be able to get up to.

Snooker can take ages (oh, sorry, phone was on silent), and there are usually regular competitions in pool halls.

FunLover18

Why would you feel like an asshole for not giving lifts. Giving up drink is not the same as giving up a social life. I go to meals or cinema with friends. I go out now and again but just don't drink (not easy for some I know). I go home at my own and don't bother about anybody else because they're not my responsibility.

Now if I'm not out but my sisters or parents are I'll have no problem getting off the couch to go collect them as long they don't leave me waiting in the car which they usually don't.

Alcohol isn't the key to a good social life, friends are.

iusedtoknow

i do pretty much the same thing I've always done. Go to bars with friends, movies, out for food. I just do it all with out drinking, and if we're going over to another part of town or out of town for a concert of something, i'll be pretty happy to drive everyone.

Mind you, my friends here are not big boozers, but i don't mind spinning them around when i'm out and around with them

xzanti

I don't really go to the pub much.. not because it makes me uncomfortable.. but because I find it incredibly boring now..

If it's a big night out for someones Birthday for example, and there's the promise of heading to a club after I'll happily go, as I love dancing.. but if it's just going to be the pub, I'll usually pass.

I love going for nice meals, cinema, plays..

Not that I get out that often anyway, I have a 3 year old so my weekends are usually pretty quiet

FunLover18

xzanti wrote: »

I don't really go to the pub much.. not because it makes me uncomfortable.. but because I find it incredibly boring now..

If it's a big night out for someones Birthday for example, and there's the promise of heading to a club after I'll happily go, as I love dancing.. but if it's just going to be the pub, I'll usually pass.

I love going for nice meals, cinema, plays..

Not that I get out that often anyway, I have a 3 year old so my weekends are usually pretty quiet

I'd actually be of the opposite mind myself. Usually pubs are quieter (not all the time) than clubs and it's easier to actually talk to people who aren't completely hammered. Clubs are a ****ing nightmare and I don't go anymore; the music's usually **** and too load, people are in a state of inebriation that is just intolerable. Horrible places to be sober in my opinion

xzanti

FunLover18 wrote: »

I'd actually be of the opposite mind myself. Usually pubs are quieter (not all the time) than clubs and it's easier to actually talk to people who aren't completely hammered. Clubs are a ****ing nightmare and I don't go anymore; the music's usually **** and too load, people are in a state of inebriation that is just intolerable. Horrible places to be sober in my opinion

Well, having said that.. I'd be fairly picky about the clubs I'd go to

bhuaigh1

thanks for the responses wasn't expecting all that:)
Well I live in Kerry and I go to the gym, work, surf(when the wave are small and not monsters)
pool and snooker are actually a great idea:)...
Funlover18: I really don't mind giving people lifts home but when its most weekends it starts to be a pain in the arse if you know what I mean, I don't like saying no but sometimes its just aaaarrrrrggggghhhhh....:) and I totally agree with you about night clubs!!

iusedtoknow: I still go to the cinema, bowling, meals and stuff but it always ends up in the pub/club and I just get board outa my head:)

xzanti: cant remember the last play I seen.. might give that a go,,, any suggestions??:)

FunLover18

bhuaigh1 wrote: »

thanks for the responses wasn't expecting all that:)
Well I live in Kerry and I go to the gym, work, surf(when the wave are small and not monsters)
pool and snooker are actually a great idea:)...
Funlover18: I really don't mind giving people lifts home but when its most weekends it starts to be a pain in the arse if you know what I mean, I don't like saying no but sometimes its just aaaarrrrrggggghhhhh....:) and I totally agree with you about night clubs!!

iusedtoknow: I still go to the cinema, bowling, meals and stuff but it always ends up in the pub/club and I just get board outa my head:)

xzanti: cant remember the last play I seen.. might give that a go,,, any suggestions??:)

What about house gatherings? Me and my mates try and get together in a house if there's one available, drinkers can bring booze if they want, order some take away and get out the monopoly. It sounds nerdy but with the right crowd with can be great craic. In this day and age it's also nice to be able to collect money off other people for a change

MakeMyFriend

I dunno, live life? lol. It's a strange question to a guy like me because I never started drinking really.

Go travelling to meet more varieties of people. Take random classes. Volunteer at a place, like a charity or something, most only require two hours a week. Build a skill, surely there must be something you've sort of wanted to try, but haven't, perhaps out of embarrassment? Like model making, novel writing or something like that. Read books (those might give you ideas for hobbies, as well as films). Learn to cook better.

Wattle

Don't let people take advantage of you with the lifts OP. If their just taking the piss you have the right to say no.

I go to the cinema a lot. I also go to mates houses. I don't mind going to the pub the very odd time but I wouldn't spend the whole night in it with a group of people on the piss. I also use the gym and swimming pool. No problem training when you don't have a horrendous hangover.

There's meetup groups in Dublin with lots of variety including one called Sober Slice of Dublin which I aim to check out soon.

Your life doesn't have to end when you put down the bottle. In many ways it's only just beginning.

Kia_Kaha

As a non-drinker, I do everything a drinker does....apart from drink! Seriously though the amount of money saved and the time freed by not being hungover the next day I think if anything I can't see any negatives!

bhuaigh1

bhuaigh1 wrote: »

So what do non drinkers do at the weekend for a social life?

Lots of things. One main one for me is cooking. I love to cook. I took it up a few years ago when "we" got pregnant - as I wanted to improve my girlfriends' diet and lifestyle. And I got really into it and have been getting more so ever since.

The second weekend of every month I throw a house party / dinner party. I basically cook up a storm - feed the bejaysus out of my mates - then on with the house party.

People are less inclined to notice you are not drinking at house parties than in a "rounds" type scenario in pubs. I barely touch the stuff - if at all - at these parties and I have not had any issue having fun or being social.

But really every hobby has a social side - from music and language learning - to physical fitness and food. One just has to start exploring that social side. Figure out the things that make you tick - that you actually enjoy doing - then work out what the social options for each actually are.

lufties

MakeMyFriend wrote: »

I dunno, live life? lol. It's a strange question to a guy like me because I never started drinking really.

Go travelling to meet more varieties of people. Take random classes. Volunteer at a place, like a charity or something, most only require two hours a week. Build a skill, surely there must be something you've sort of wanted to try, but haven't, perhaps out of embarrassment? Like model making, novel writing or something like that. Read books (those might give you ideas for hobbies, as well as films). Learn to cook better.

That's a good piece of advice. I'd say get out more, take up surfing/windsurfing or sea kayaking, Getting out in the water and taking in sea air is very good for you, especially if you live in the city. I've recently started doing some languages, which is good for the mind. When I lived in Dublin I loved going to the Irish film institute. Otherwise cooking and opting for healthy eating(without going overboard), these days I understand the importance of keep my body and mind nourished with a good diet.

stefan idiot jones

lufties wrote: »

That's a good piece of advice. I'd say get out more, take up surfing/windsurfing or sea kayaking, Getting out in the water and taking in sea air is very good for you, especially if you live in the city.

This is what I do, and then I check my pants.