Judged For Not Drinking

When I stopped drinking, I held up a mirror to everyone around me.

I didn’t mean to, or want to.

I wanted to fly under the radar because I dreaded being asked "why aren’t you drinking?".

But everyone I knew drank. And unless you’d hit rock bottom, choosing not to drink was seen as extreme.

The script we’d been handed to socialise was to drink ~ and if you didn’t, you were seen as boring or having a problem.

Alcohol had a divine right in our lives, and saying no wasn’t neutral ~ it was disruptive.

I dreaded explaining why I wasn’t drinking, because of how others might react.

That’s when I learned about projection ~ when people place their own fears or insecurities onto you.

But they weren’t reacting to me ~ they were reacting to what my choice brought up in them.

Living differently in a country the majority drink, makes projection almost impossible to avoid.

This isn’t to demonise those who drink, because many people are supportive.

And quitting drinking was never a judgement of others, but it was often treated like one.

I share my story not to convert anyone, but because after 10 years alcohol-free, I know how isolating it can feel to question a societal norm.

Watch the reel.