Hang out but be strong spirited and just chill, it's really that easy
I've been to parties where worse was pushed in my face and I simply pushed it away and said I'm good.

Because there's nothing positive about it?

Alcohol sure seems to be vilified around these boards. OP, you just need to learn to be more assertive. If they keep pressuring you then you obviously haven't done enough to tell them that you don't want to. If they are in fact your friends then they should understand.

I don't really see an issue with having a few beers and chats with mates down the pub. But i never get any enjoyment from clubbing, it's too loud to hear what anyone's saying, you're surrounded by sweaty teenagers, the place is so stuffy and hot....ergh.

I think you just need to be more clear when saying no, it's not like you have to drink over your limit anyway.

Dont get me wrong here guys. I am in no way condoning peer pressurr, that is wrong of those who you calls friends to do. You need to ditch those people.

I am merely playing devils advocate for the alcohol itself, because it itself is not a negative thing. That may be your subjective opinion, but that is more manifested in the human aspect of alcohol. Im sorry, but alcohol isnt bad. Its the human issues surrounding it that are bad, giving you that perception.

No, alcohol isn't bad. It has many uses such as for fuel and cleaning.

On the other hand alcoholic drinks are bad for your health and your judgement. That isn't a perception, its a fact.

Only if you take too many.

Excellent post, this point can taken even further.Nobody is born as the person they'll later turn out to be as we are all created largely by our environment and this social psychology influences our beliefs or even what we attribute value to (symbolic interactionism and ethnomethodology ) there's a reason so many people are Hindi in India or christian in America and it's not something innate from birth giving them this disposition.

There's also a reason the populace in countries in Africa have a far lower IQ and it's not because they where born that way, it's because they are born in such a deprived area that they don't have the cognitive stimuli needed to learn.

People say you are what you eat but it's the same thing psychologically you are where you where born and the people you socialize with, grow up in a ghetto with drug dealers and gangsters you'll probably become one ( the vast majority would).

You can't pin blame on someone for being an alcoholic without considering there situation (fundamental attribution error), after all they're probably a victim of circumstance.

OT:

Ask if they would like to socialize doing something yous both would both like to do.

False. Alcohol, in moderation, is beneficial to your health. I really dont know why youre arguing with that or where you get your info from. Maybe stop going to www.alcoholisthedevil.com.

You won't find a doctor who says that you should start drinking. Having a glass or so of good red wine a day gives you a chance of a health benefit. But you have to balance that against the possibility that you'll drink for stress relief or some other psychological reason. When you read those articles on the benefits of a small amount of alcohol, often they say that this does not constitute a reason to start drinking if you are teetotal. And we're not talking about taking a glass of red wine as medicine here, we're talking about university age socializing. If you give in and have one glass "for your health", the pressure won't stop there.

For risk management, if you don't feel like you want to start drinking then you should listen to your instincts. Alcoholism can severely reduce your quality of life. Boozing can be fun, but I've regretted it more often than not. Alcohol is an addictive substance, treat with care.

My doctor told me to drink a glass of wine a day. There goes your theory.

And that was your first ever drink? Surprising.

Who..said..that..?

It kinda makes sense, no one wants to be that one guy who is getting [censored]faced. 98% of the reason I drink or anything is because I was pressured into it, not because I went out of my way to do it. But I can't tell people no. If I do, I just get the "oh what's wrong with you"

I said doctors will not tell you to start drinking. Which is the thread topic.

This is true, but the culture in america, and among young americans in particular, often tolerates and expects binge drinking rather than moderate drinking. Work all week and get completely obliterated over the weekend.

Yes, but..

What world do you live in that demands you stand true to social norms..? Being a grown man I have never experienced that. Get a back bone? Stand up for yourself? Jeez people. You don't have to do anything. Tell the person who says otherwise to get bent. Be an advlt about it. I just don't get that mindset. Social norms be damned; be yourself.

I had a neighbor who's doctor told him to eat more pork instead of chicken and beef. He died of a heart attack.

Doctors advice isn't infallible.

I have a 6 pack of Mike's Hard Lemonade, a bottle of Jack Daniels classic sour mash, and a few sampler size bottles of Red Hot Fireball Whiskey. I plan on getting plastered this weekend while watching the NBA playoffs and playing NBA 2K with my brother. We're going to have a blast. Want to join? C'mon, a few swigs won't kill you.

Quite true. But scientific and medical fact are a bit more solid. And it is a medical fact that a little (I said a little, not binging) alcohol does wonders for cleansing your kidneys and liver.

Keep the candy alcohol, but I will drink the Jack and Fireball Whisky. You paying for the flight?

Bah, I despise those kinds of people. I just let them know they go ahead and do it, but just don't try and force me or even try and convince me to do things I don't want to do. I've found alcohol to be nothing but trouble and problematic throughout my life. Some people need alcohol and other drugs to have fun and socialize to the point they become dependent on them.

Eh, I got tired of Big Red quickly.

Friends that pressure people to drink alcohol are annoying, but they don't grind my goat as much as people (I'm not saying you are one, mind) who take people not adjusting to suit them as 'pressure.' I used to have this when I went down the gym more often (read: at all) and knew more dedicated folk who'd not indulge in anything because of 'carbs, man' or to maintain their sleeping habits. They insisted we should join them in their 5pm barbecues rather than inviting them out clubbing, all the time, because us 'not including' them was inconsiderate.

There's a positive/negative side to just about everything in the original post.

Playing "Devil's advocate" isn't always a bad thing, sometimes I can get people to look at a situation from the other side. Being "pushy" about it is a bit ridiculous though.

Drinking alcohol isn't bad. Having no self-control to stop drinking alcohol is bad. Trying to say alcohol is bad because of alcoholics or people who abuse it is like trying to argue that six is bad because forced six (it censors the other thing, and it's important in the anology here) exists.

If you're not interested in drinking, stick to your original "no thanks". If they continue to push the issue find new friends. That might seem harsh, but if they can't respect/remember that you've said no, they're probably not really worth your time in the long run. I've spent many years in sub-cultures that are deeply booze oriented (punk and metal) and I'm not a "party guy". I'm not teetotal or anything, but one beer once in a while is usually enough for me, so I've had to deal with this sort of BS quite a bit. I found that the people who respected it are still friends, and those who didn't eventually lost touch. I didn't even "move on" like I suggested, because at this point, it didn't bother me, but in my experience the people who are going to be around later in life after the partying ends are those who were decent enough to respect my choices back then.

How the hell do you play video games while drunk? I can barely watch a TV as my eyes tend to get badly blurred...I've tried correcting this once by borrowing someones glasses while drunk (which seemed clever at the time ha) and ended up making myself nauseous to the point of puking