The abstinence thread

nowt wrong with asking for a pot of tea at a pub and is my usual recourse when I've had enough of the tonic and lime

It always makes me smile at peoples reaction to you not drinking in the pub and I've found that the best response to 'why don't you drink?' is to stare blankly at some point in the distance, twitch a tiny bit and say 'they don't let you drink in prison…'

I'm going to try this tonight. You recomend lime cordial or fresh lime?

Over the years my choice of soft drink has varied. I have been through a number of phases of diet coke but will not touch the poison now. Orange juice and fizzy water or cranberry juice and soda are my current fixations or fizzy water straight at other times. Quite often, at drinks parties, I drink nothing at all.

nowt wrong with asking for a pot of tea at a pub and is my usual recourse when I've had enough of the tonic and lime

+1 Tea drinking in pubs FTW!
Its my favorite drink in the whole world, my mum put it in a bottle for me when i was a nipper. i could easily give up booze, but tea would be a tough one.

go to a bar and ask for 'dragons blood' like youve ordered it a million times from a clued up bartender, when they say 'what mate?' say 'oh you didnt make it before, its an orange juice and cranberry mix 50/50 thanks'
lush
(disclaimer, wont work in trendy mixologists bars where they will do that London, 'wtf' look at you)

It's fun making up drinks names and getting gullible fools to go order them too.

It's fun making up drinks names and getting gullible fools to go order them too.

Got any Yellow Bentines? Triple sod? A Clarkey Cat?

nowt wrong with asking for a pot of tea at a pub and is my usual recourse when I've had enough of the tonic and lime

It always makes me smile at peoples reaction to you not drinking in the pub and I've found that the best response to 'why don't you drink?' is to stare blankly at some point in the distance, twitch a tiny bit and say 'they don't let you drink in prison…'

ha!
i've heard you use that line.

:)

Got any Yellow Bentines? Triple sod? A Clarkey Cat?

Do you have any idea how many shit bands are named after Chris Morris references? Well do you? It's a lot.

If you like to know.

Joss Acklands spunky backpack.

great name for a band

mmm, some pubs are better than others with the alc free choices, I love the fentimans ginger beer in the regent, but the c&h are not so good, got a bit 'tudey and tried to charge for tap water when asked for mineral water, when we went for the bake-off.

In my previous life as boozy man,I would have said,tough shit, it's a pub FFS, drink booze or fuck off. But I appreciate a pub now if it has the choices, and the attitude* for people to enjoy coming in regardless of whether they are drinking something with alchohol in or not. I gladly pay for what I have, as I am usually eating in a pub too, but do slightly resent being asked for over £2 for some shitty soda and "juice" being squirted into a glass full of ice. It's not the 70s any more.

*don't get the attitude of some pub staff when asked for non-alcoholic drinks, like somehow you are less important or some kind of mug, I grew up in pubs from age 6, my parents ran them. I probably know more about the licensed trade than some snotty 20-something with a hangover and no short term memory who thinks he's tom cruise in cocktail. Besides, pubs must have loads of non-drinkers, people who drive etc..it's hardly news.

Ginger beer is wonderful but one can have a little too much of it. Six tins and I'm retching. In Bermuda, ginger Beer with cranberry juice is a popular soft drink and rather nice.

When i worked in pubs not that many years ago cordial and soda was always charged as just the shot of cordial, so 15 or 20p. I can't believe you'd pay £2 for fizzy tap water, ice and shot of cordial.

Real cloudy apple juice and soda is very nice. I often water down fruit juices anyway as i find pure juice too thick, sugary and acidic to be really refreshing.

I keep all my beer bottles in a bin to take down the bottle bank. I must empty that fucker at least once a month, there's gotta be £200 worth in there each time.

I've been diagnosed as alcohol dependent, have been drunk for days, have had a drink at virtually any time of day you care to think of and measure the value of my hobbies by the likelihood of squeezing in a beer or two. I have also discovered the joy (with a background feeling of impending doom) of being pissed on a bike (ta South Beers!).

On the other side of the coin I don't really drink during the week, haven't been falling over drunk in years and go home before I get 'confused'.

Drink, don't drink, drink a bit, whatever. If you abstain, I genuinely applaud you. We often hear from the extremes of the drinking 'spectrum' and seem to forget that for some drinking is a fairly benign, enjoyable pastime.

Jeebers, not had a drink yet but that all looks like the ravings of a dipso.

I don't need booze to make me feel better about myself, and it is a shallow man who does.

Clearly you've got your sanctimonius smug attitude to do that.

The vast majority of people who drink do so not because they need booze to feel better about themselves, but because booze is very nice. I have just been to the pub, had a lovely couple of very tasty ales and do you know what? I feel exactly the same about myself as before I went there.

Oh, and Frank Sinatra quote recognition fail.

Guinness currently £2.18 in (one of) my local(s).

Yoghurt-weaver

I love this phrase and have never heard anyone else use it, outside of an old group of mates.

Win.

+1 Tea drinking in pubs FTW!
Its my favorite drink in the whole world, my mum put it in a bottle for me when i was a nipper. i could easily give up booze, but tea would be a tough one.

Tea a holic, now teabag or leaves?

The good lady knocks back Virgin Marys - a very good sunday slow drink for a pub. Lime (fresh) soda is pretty refreshing - both the cost of a pint....

Can't get my head around ginger ales and beers, damn agressive!

Good cup of Tea is a good call, you made plenty of them in the slammer eh Big Daddy, served with a slice of soap on the side

I have a thirst for exciting alc. free cocktails this christmas.
personal favourites?

they do all the usual suspects anywhere good, virgin breeze i like (cran-grape) coladas, same but without the pina innit??

I am partial to Shirley Temple.

sorry... "a" Shirley Temple.

I have a problem with sugary drinks, what sugar free drinks are there? Diet drinks are usually ok but after a while you get sick of those kinds of drinks and non alcoholic drinks are usually more expensive than alcohol.