Post by @JulianOliver@mastodon.social

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@JulianOliver @alex27 On my side, to get sober, I got professional help. I also had to lie to my friends and pretend a medical condition that required I stopped.

As Julian says, everyone is different. But the social pressure to drink is so high in most places and culture, I'd say it's probably better to just be and not to talk about it, unless you're asked.

Julian Oliver

@JulianOliver@mastodon.social 2 hr. ago

@julien @alex27

C'est dur. It sounds like you had it harder than I. And you are right about context. There is no one way.

Julien Deswaef

@julien@m.xuv.be 2 hr. ago

@JulianOliver @alex27 I'd say that the toughest part for me (and still is sometimes) is the social pressure. Always having to constantly justify yourself on why you don't drink. It's been more than 10 years now. So I built some thick skin. It's also getting easier in recent years as we start seeing a range of non-alcoholic options almost everywhere (that are not the usual US based sugar drinks).

Global alcohol consumption peaked a few years ago and is in steady decline. We're on the right path.

Aleph Two

@alex27@infosec.exchange 1 hr. ago

@julien @JulianOliver I really hope that this decline is something conscious rather than some other symptom.

I recall being asked by waiter rather I was sick. Like why the hell you gonna miss bottle of beer otherwise....

Julian Oliver

@JulianOliver@mastodon.social 44 min. ago

@alex27 @julien I've also had a 'sorry for your loss' like response, as though having just reported a death. Also some revealing nervousness, even irritation. More so, as someone that identifies as male in a country that inherited the UK's legacy of binge drinking, to not drink is to be somehow be a lesser man.

I have minimal social needs, live outside the city, and so do not feel the pressures too much. Were I to be back in Berlin throughout, my experience of quitting might be quite different.