There’s a chance this could be WATER
“No, thanks, just water for me.”
In America, when I say I don’t drink, that’s where my conversations usually end. People turn away to someone who can relate to their experiences. When I say I don’t drink, people assume I won’t join them out at a bar or a party.
“No, thanks, just water for me.”
It can be difficult to be the one only ordering water, Shirley Temples, and non-alcoholic drinks — not because I mind the drinking, but because I mind feeling left out.
Do you remember the last time you felt left out? You may have felt just a slight twinge of nerves, a little less oxygen filling your lungs, or in desperate need of distraction.
“No, thanks, just water for me.”
Before you ask, yes, I do have my reasons for not drinking.
I want to tell you why I don’t drink, and see if we can start a conversation from there.
1. To be honest…I never really got it. Like every teenager, I was susceptible to the power of persuasion, but in the case of alcohol I was never hooked.
2. I am Muslim. Islam prohibits any substance that alters your perception of what is going on around you. While I may not do everything perfectly, I do try to live my life as ‘right’ as I see it, and I have always been afraid that alcohol will cloud that.
3. To a non-drinker, alcohol just smells like chemicals. The lingering smell after the sweetness of most drinks dissipates, and what’s left behind smells like chemicals to me.
4. Blacking out terrifies me. I have a pretty good memory; not perfect, not photographic, but my memory is pretty tip-top. I like knowing around what happened around when.
5. I have seen far too many people change under the influence of alcohol. I honestly don’t know who I’d be with alcohol, so it’s easy to be me without it.
6. Here’s a twofer: Calories and cents. Why drink those empty calories when I could actually enjoy real calories in a milkshake? Also — money. My milkshake is (almost always) cheaper and yummier.
To this day, I have not had a sip. I promised my best friend in 7th grade I would never drink.
Saying no for so long has made saying yes impossible.
While drinking is common, I have never imagined a life with it. But I also cannot imagine a life without all of you.
So let’s start a conversation, maybe over drinks. I’ll stick with water.
