Excuse ideas for not drinking?

roscoe1009

My husband and I have been fairly anti-social since we got our BFP outside of our best friends who know the news and immediate family.  We are having dinner with some other friends next week and I know they are going to raise eyebrows if I decline to drink.  I am a lady who certainly enjoys having a cocktail (or two, or three!) when I go out, especially on weekends, so it will be highly unusually for me to not even have one glass of wine.  What are some good excuses you ladies have used for why you are not drinking?  All I can come up with is "I'm on antibiotics" but then I don't know what to say I'm on antibiotics for and worry they will ask!  I am so not good at lying!  And I have a work happy hour I need to go to this Friday too. 

emwj10187

@sophiakam i know how you feel, DH and I have been hermits since finding out. My fib that I have ready to tell friends if they ask why I'm not drinking is that I'm dieting/doing a cleanse. However I'll be honest, no one has really asked why. I think i was asked once, and it was from someone who isn't really a close friend. Hope this helps.

canonmom413

When we were TTC I said I was on a new migraine medicine and wasn't allowed to drink with it. They all new I suffered from migraines so no one questioned it. In the past I have also used the "clean diet" excuse. 

riverrainez

If they're not close friends I might use the cleanse or antibiotic excuse, but any real friend of mine would know that's bullshit. You could get to the restaurant early and order a soda water with lime and say it's a gin and tonic.

flyingfall

I'm telling everyone that I'm giving it up for lent. We'll see how that goes. It would be perfect though because that will get us to public announcements. Just been difficult with Mardi Gras going on. 
 I definitely enjoy drinking with friends and family so it's been hard. Plus a glass of wine on a layover is pretty much part of the job description. So I've ordered grape juice in a wine glass before. Or tipped the bartender to make me Virgin margaritas discreetly but fake drinking is exhausting.

baker1jm2

Are they close enough friends that you could say you're cutting back bc you're ttc? Could you pretend to drink? If you're at a restaurant try to go up to the bar and get a drink before you're seated and if it's at someone's house maybe you could just let the host in on it and they could make you a mocktail.  Good luck!! I just went home over the weekend and had to hide it all weekend and I think I managed to escape okay!

monstera13

I agree with @baker1jm2 . If you are close enough to them, it maybe best to say you're TTC. That's what I've been doing! It stops the questions and prodding to have "just one" drink.

sdarling2010

What I do is order at the bar, away from everyone else (or tip the waiter ahead of time), and get a sparkling or soda water with a couple limes in it. If anyone asks, I say it's a vodka tonic. Worked when I was pregnant with DD and is working wonders again! 

grkgdss00

You can say you're on a cleanse or diet and no drinking for 7-30 days or whatever. My husband is doing the "whole30" program right now and can't drink for 30 days. but then you'd have to order something somewhat healthy (meat and veggies) haha

tyannej

You can say you're giving it up for lent or what one of my friends told me she did was she ordered a mix drink from the bar but let the bartender know the situation so you can look like you're drinking a strawberry daqueri or something and there's no alcohol in it. I didn't think of it until it was too late but it's kind of genius!

SwtAnana

I echo what some of the previous posters have said, now is a good time of year to claim you're giving it up for lent.  That's completely believable if your friends know you as someone who likes a drink or two because it'd present a real sacrifice.

My personal favorite (I've done it a couple times already with great success) is to talk to your waiter/waitress upfront or order your drinks at the bar separately.  Just pull your waiter/waitress aside and tell them that whenever you order xyz drink, to make sure the bartender leaves out the alcohol and puts it in a cocktail glass. I have a feeling that they're used to these types of requests. No one at the table will blink an eye!

Of course you can always just say that you're TTC!  If I heard someone say that though I would just smirk to myself and think "I bet this chick is already pregnant!" 

ali76

My husband and I have actually gotten pretty good at this. We both get a glass of wine. We put our glasses next to each other at the table and we just secretly switch. Just hold the glass here and there, hold it up to your lips but don't drink...No one suspects a thing. And as the night goes on, the more people drink, the less they'll even notice. My poor husband's liver may need a detox after these next few weeks. Lol!

RoseDerek

I have many after work happy hours and friend events and every single person I've tried to fake drink around or make up the medication excuse has asked me, "are you pregnant?" and I just say no.  I must be a terrible liar.  

s_corrigall

I've tried almost all these suggestions with my first pregnancy (except for Lent, I'm not religious so that would be a dead give away) and I got caught almost every time.

This go around I've been avoiding most social situations unless I'm willing to tell people the news. There have been a couple of functions that I couldn't get out of, so I have used having to pick my daughter up as an excuse, and one upcoming where I plan on telling people that I have a half marathon to run the next morning.

mommac2017

I honestly thing the antibiotic excuse is used so much that no one believes it anymore. 

I would probably say something like "I have a headache right now, maybe in a little while". I find most people don't bat an eye if I throw in the "maybe in a bit" line. And often they forget to offer again. 

magnolia305

I like to pick up a drink menu--maybe ask the waiter a question about a drink on the menu--and then say, "Just a water for now, I'll keep looking".  And just never order a drink. If I make up an excuse, it draws more attention and I'm a terrible liar! 

roo_baby

We've told all of our close friends who live nearby because we don't want to lie, but we also don't want to go into hiding. If anything unexpected were to happen, we would tell them about it anyway.

There are a few friends we weren't ready to tell yet (mostly because we think they will blab to others), so when they have wanted to get together we've done a casual lunch or dinner at a place (e.g. Indian, Thai) I wouldn't typically drink. Once I had people at our place, and had my "cocktail" mixed before they arrived and then nursed it for a while. I had my husband get me a refill while we were all busy, and no one noticed that he forgot the alcohol.

The hardest part for me has been work. I had done the Dry January excuse to start, but now I've switched to "I failed Dry January, so I am only drinking on weekends". Something about telling them I failed makes it more believable, but it's a drinking heavy culture so there's still a lot of pressure. 

AiramH

I'd go with the standard antibiotics excuse or tell people you have a bet going with your friend or husband, to see who can go a month without drinking.

roscoe1009

Love all these ideas everyone!  I think I am going to go with get to restaurant early, order "fake" drink, and nurse it all night!

nlpurdum

I also gave the antibiotics excuse to one friend, and to another friend I told that it's due to digestive issues (I actually do have digestive problems and in the past was told to swear off drinking and caffeine as the dehydrative effects are bad for the system). Several friends already knew I wasn't drinking bc I stopped when we were trying to become pregnant since it reduces fertility. 

On the chance uour catholic you would now have the PERFECT excuse (and as I'm saying this I'm realizing I'm def gonna use it haha)--giving up drinking for lent!

Also dieting, doing a fast/cleanse, or just feeling ill. 

nlpurdum

Make sure they give it to you in a normal glass! Last time I attempted this they gave it to me in a MASSIVE 22 ounce glass like okay, no one is gonna believe I'm drinking THAT much cranberry vodka!!

autumnbaby-2

Gave up alcohol for lent! It will buy you about 6 weeks.

tls105

We told friends i gave up drinking for lent.   Perfect reason to give up drinks and friends not question us

ashleyluxe

Lent is the perfect excuse and I didn't even think of it!!!  We are doing our big reveal at Easter... and I am Catholic.  How did I not think of this?!  

I've been hung up on doing this 40 days of reducing clutter thing.  I'm choosing an item every day to donate.

Thanks for finding me an excuse, ladies!

lovehorse77

Lent! Good til Easter! :-) 

marousse

I used Lent as my excuse as well. 

newtoo

If it is just a need for a one time excuse you can say you drank heavily the night before and had a hang over all day so you don't want to push if by drinking again that night. I hate when you can tell people suspect you are pregnant. People need to mind their own business. Early pregnancy feels so fragile and is such a personal experience!