SPC James Harsh 2043833 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div> 2016-11-05T20:06:11-04:00 SPC James Harsh 2043833

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2016-11-05T20:06:11-04:00 2016-11-05T20:06:11-04:00 1SG Al Brown 2043841

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Lots of practice and vividly remembering the consequences.

2016-11-05T20:12:42-04:00 2016-11-05T20:12:42-04:00 LTC Private RallyPoint Member 2043901

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>&quot;I don&#39;t drink.&quot; <br /><br />I drank socially when I was younger and wasted time and brain cells. I decided aboutique 10 years ago that it was a waste of time and money. Anyone who has a problem with my desire for self-control and no hangover can _____ off. Plus , your can keep an eye on those who decide to get stupid and ensure they stay safe, which is the right honorable thing to do. Finally, watching drunk people while you&#39;re sober can be some of the best free entertainment you can get.

2016-11-05T20:43:45-04:00 2016-11-05T20:43:45-04:00 SPC Phil Norton 2044064

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I love my beer and Jim beam but I might have 2 drinks a year your question on how to fight the urge simply get older have kids take medication that you can&#39;t drink with but seriously I gave up drinking when my kids were born and I was responsible for there well being it&#39;s a matter of what takes priority in your life

2016-11-05T21:58:58-04:00 2016-11-05T21:58:58-04:00 Capt Private RallyPoint Member 2044087

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I just consider what alcohol and my meds would do if I drank.

2016-11-05T22:14:01-04:00 2016-11-05T22:14:01-04:00 SPC Erich Guenther 2044254

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>A lot of the micro-breweries also serve hand crafted Soda. Ask for one of those, some of them are very good. Otherwise I do not go to a bar. As you get older and your Kidneys start to age it will be easier as Alchol can trigger a very painful gout attack (which a unfortunately high amount of former Infantry suffer from).......which feels like your foot getting hit with a sledgehammer every time you put weight on it........so that is a pretty big incentive as well.<br /><br />About age 40-45 your going to start to watch what you eat because your going to find that your digestive system is aging and not the iron clad, highly metobolic pot it was in your youth that could tolerate anything you ate or drunk before. Not a huge adjustment to the quality of life but it&#39;s comming.

2016-11-05T23:35:38-04:00 2016-11-05T23:35:38-04:00 SFC George Smith 2044424

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>get a Glass of water

2016-11-06T00:44:50-04:00 2016-11-06T00:44:50-04:00 SPC Kenneth Koerperich 2044634

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Choose friends who don&#39;t drink. Work a lot. Get a hobby. I work so much, I&#39;m lucky to get a beer w/ dinner every few months when out on &quot;Date&quot; night w/ wife, and it usually sits 1/2 full when done.

2016-11-06T01:25:42-05:00 2016-11-06T01:25:42-05:00 SGM Steve Wettstein 2045096

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Surround yourself with like thinkers. If you are going to go out with a bunch of drunks you are going to have a harder time than if you hang out with non drinkers.

2016-11-06T09:22:11-05:00 2016-11-06T09:22:11-05:00 PO1 Private RallyPoint Member 2045212

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>To not drink? You have to apply mental strength and while you are face-to-face with the drink, you don&#39;t give in; that&#39;s the pure idea of courage. While I do have an occasional drink, I have had some rather interesting memories of others and myself when I was 3 sheets to the wind from drinking. I keep those thoughts at bay when I just want to have a good time while I&#39;m sober and conscious.

2016-11-06T10:13:31-05:00 2016-11-06T10:13:31-05:00 SSgt Dan Montague 2045231

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Never liked the taste. So never had a craving.

2016-11-06T10:21:57-05:00 2016-11-06T10:21:57-05:00 Cpl George Crab 2045673

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>After having to see my wife die from an alcohol related disease, I find no temptation in alcohol. I remarried, and chose a non drinker.

2016-11-06T13:20:27-05:00 2016-11-06T13:20:27-05:00 SMSgt Lawrence McCarter 2046937

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I don&#39;t drink that often, sometimes, a lot of the time though just have a coke or other soft drink, most people don&#39;t actually pay attention to what You drink and if they do so what ? Most the time i just don&#39;t want to and have better things to do than hang around in bars or drinking. I keep pretty busy anyway and it just doesn&#39;t seem to fit in.

2016-11-07T00:02:43-05:00 2016-11-07T00:02:43-05:00 SrA Private RallyPoint Member 2047146

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I can&#39;t relate to not being able to resist the urge to drink. I never made it a habit, though I really enjoy most types of alcohol. One thing that helped was when I turned 21 I took a course to certify me in serving alcohol at a restaurant I worked for at the time (they called it a TAPS certificate). It taught me how to gauge drinking, and how to prevent guests from over drinking. I took that knowledge and applied it to myself and was very prepared any time I went out downtown with friends. I normally have one or two a night, which I consider a very healthy relationship with alcohol. I&#39;m not sure how something like this is achievable for somebody struggling with alcohol, other than to see if there&#39;s a local Alcoholics Anonymous they could check out.

2016-11-07T04:26:05-05:00 2016-11-07T04:26:05-05:00 Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen 2047272

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>If you are truly a non-drinker, the thought never comes up. Like all the comments about getting hobbies, choosing friends, etc. They all work. I am a drinker but spent lots of time at parties when I was on alert and couldn&#39;t drink. Tonic or Club Soda with a twist of lemon or lime works. Even had a few commanders sniff my beverage just to be sure.

2016-11-07T07:31:19-05:00 2016-11-07T07:31:19-05:00 Cpl Justin Goolsby 2047369

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Avoid what? Drinking? I have zero issues with alcohol consumption, but I&#39;m very safety oriented. Unless there&#39;s someone watching over me, I won&#39;t consume. Normally in social settings, I&#39;m the designated driver anyways.<br /><br />Now if you&#39;re speaking from an addiction standpoint, then I would simply do something to get my mind off it. Time flies when you&#39;re engaged in an activity which would definitely help pass time without thinking of alcohol.

2016-11-07T08:34:15-05:00 2016-11-07T08:34:15-05:00 CPT Jacob Swartout 2050034

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I am not a drinker. I don&#39;t think about it and if someone asks if I want one, I simply tell them that I promised my wife and children that I would not drink. I really never acquired the taste for alcohol or hard liquor either. I made my decision early in life on reading articles and seeing what a drinking problem could lead to. So to avoid that dilemma I chose not to drink for my own health and safety of myself and others. I didn&#39;t want to end up as someone who would regret a bad decision. I still will go to social events however, drinking has been and will not be an issue for me. I simply just stay with my spouse and talk to people at social events.

2016-11-08T00:14:36-05:00 2016-11-08T00:14:36-05:00 LCDR Doug Nordman 2050274

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>&quot;Thanks, but my drinking days are behind me...&quot;<br /><br />Alcohol adversely affected the lives of my parents, especially when my father developed dementia and could&#39;t remember how many drinks he&#39;d had.<br /><br />Today I&#39;m still occasionally tempted by beer commercials, but then I remember that I&#39;d rather save those calories for chocolate.

2016-11-08T05:22:13-05:00 2016-11-08T05:22:13-05:00 SSgt David Tedrow 2050311

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>As a non-drinker, the thought does not come up. When I go out with friends I am comfortable ordering non-alcoholic drinks and also comfortable to say no when pressured by peers.

2016-11-08T05:54:02-05:00 2016-11-08T05:54:02-05:00 SSG Patrick Michael 2050399

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>If you recently stopped drinking and mean to stay stopped, you should probably be attending AA meetings, if not every day, several times a week. The obsession of the mind is a difficult thing to change. The information you need requires more time to address, and more than just a few hints. That said, difficult as it may be in military culture, you probably first need to change playgrounds and playmates. Keep busy doing things that don&#39;t involve drinking. Becoming better at anything requires practice. I&#39;ve not had a drink in a long time, but it happens a day at a time, and on occasion it was a minute at a time.

2016-11-08T07:04:43-05:00 2016-11-08T07:04:43-05:00 SPC Ted Landgren 2050413

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>AA has helped me a lot

2016-11-08T07:17:51-05:00 2016-11-08T07:17:51-05:00 SGT Randall Goedel 2050415

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Hold fast. I used to just offer to be the designated driver (and I still do that today even though I have been out of the Army for 15 years).

2016-11-08T07:19:02-05:00 2016-11-08T07:19:02-05:00 Sgt Earle Wingate 2050467

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I think the question hints at a concern about drinking too much. I did, for many years. AA has a pamphlet titled &#39;44 Questions &#39;. AA also has a booklet on living sober. 16 years without alcohol. Life is good!

2016-11-08T07:40:08-05:00 2016-11-08T07:40:08-05:00 CW3 Susan Burkholder 2050522

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>My advice is professional counseling. You need support and tools to change your learned responses that induced you to drink. Avoiding drunk friends helps but you can&#39;t stay away from those friends forever. It&#39;s only a matter of time before you are in a situation where people around you are drinking and perhaps you had a bad day........ You will revert to your old coping mechanisms. You need to learn new ways of dealing with life and professional therapy can help. You can&#39;t simply will yourself to stop drinking, that&#39;s not how the brain works. You will fail and the cycle will start all over again and you will wonder what&#39;s wrong with you.......... If you combined AA with regular therapy; if you combine surrounding yourself with non-drinkers and therapy you will after time know how to avoid drinking when you are challenged by the urge. You will learn steps for success. You will learn how to respond differently to alcohol. Therapy will help you find out what works for you - it will be an individual plan for success.

2016-11-08T08:10:34-05:00 2016-11-08T08:10:34-05:00 Cpl George Goodwin 2050598

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I have the occasional drink. But, when it is time to avoid it I just tell myself I don&#39;t need it.

2016-11-08T08:41:14-05:00 2016-11-08T08:41:14-05:00 SrA A.A. Hall 2050895

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I often think about how many people I see that get way too intoxicated &amp; how they act. Some get mushy, some it&#39;s like a truth serum, while others become downright mean/combative, &amp; I figure that is not how I want to act or be seen acting. Besides, if you&#39;ve ever been unfortunate enough to have to board an aircraft with just a small hangover, it&#39;s enough to detour me from ever making that mistake again.

2016-11-08T10:22:09-05:00 2016-11-08T10:22:09-05:00 SPC Wanda Vergara-Yates 2050919

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I don&#39;t. I&#39;m a heavy drinker. I am a heavy drinker of coffee with cream or very slightly sweetened tea over heavy ice. On occasion (1 to 20 times a month) I get a craving for soda (also over heavy ice). Therefore it becomes a non-issue, and for non-drinkers, that is quite often how it is.<br /><br />Maybe your question should be how a former drinker of alcohol avoids such a situation when they stress?

2016-11-08T10:28:57-05:00 2016-11-08T10:28:57-05:00 Maj Private RallyPoint Member 2050974

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Was never a problem. I would go out with the guys and sometimes someone would ask, &quot;So, you don&#39;t drink at all?&quot; And I would answer no. No one ever bugged me about it.<br /><br />During one assigned on an inspection team the rest of the team were hard charging drinkers and they loved it that I didn&#39;t drink because they always knew they had a designated driver.

2016-11-08T10:47:21-05:00 2016-11-08T10:47:21-05:00 SMSgt Private RallyPoint Member 2051035

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>If you are a &quot;social drinker&quot; can take it or leave it - I have found that most people don&#39;t comment if you go out with friends and order a soda, etc. I have wine in my home, but for myself once I open a bottle - it usually goes bad before I can finish it, so I don&#39;t usually drink at home. If your friends pressure you to have a drink - say you are on meds for XX and can&#39;t mix it alcohol.

2016-11-08T11:01:45-05:00 2016-11-08T11:01:45-05:00 PO1 Kaytee S 2051141

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I don&#39;t really understand your question. If you are a &quot;non-drinker&quot;, then you don&#39;t imbibe. The &quot;thought&quot; to drink never comes up. <br /><br />If your unit goes to &quot;happy hour&quot;, and you feel pressured-- sit with the Mormons and/or under-21s, and split pitchers of soda with them. Cross your eyes and give a raspberry to anybody who suggests you have anything alcoholic, sniff their ethanol laden potion, then say &quot;Ewwwww, nasty!&quot; ... &quot;I don&#39;t like rotten grape juice&quot; ... &quot;I only consume non-hydroxylized sugars&quot;.... I&#39;ve done/said &quot;all of the above&quot; at one time or another, pre-, during, and post-military service. After awhile... people stop insisting that you consume metabolic poisons.

2016-11-08T11:31:55-05:00 2016-11-08T11:31:55-05:00 SPC John Waisman 2051172

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>The Little Woman keeps me in line. Last time I had a drink I was in a Vietnamese restaurant surrounded by Vietnamese people. Kim sat to my left and started interrogating me about my military experience. The place was noisy, but the noise stopped and everyone was looking my way. I said, &quot;I change my mind, I&#39;ll have a beer.&quot; The beer came, I drank half of it fast, and the anxiety attack that had been forming melted away. Out of the Vietnamese restaurant now, and I haven&#39;t had a drink since.

2016-11-08T11:40:34-05:00 2016-11-08T11:40:34-05:00 SGM Bill Johnson 2051248

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>The thought doesn&#39;t come up for a non-drinker so I don&#39;t understand your question.

2016-11-08T12:02:02-05:00 2016-11-08T12:02:02-05:00 SFC Private RallyPoint Member 2051310

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>By keeping in mind that I control what is consumed by me and not the other way around.

2016-11-08T12:18:46-05:00 2016-11-08T12:18:46-05:00 PO1 Frank Reiffenstein 2051437

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>You are responsible for your own actions. If you don&#39;t drink don&#39;t drink. Nobody can make you drink.

2016-11-08T12:51:35-05:00 2016-11-08T12:51:35-05:00 PO1 Kevin Dougherty 2051456

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I went out a few times at my first unit, and discovered that I did not particularly like the feeling of getting drunk. The 3rd or 4th time I went out I had a hard time remembering what went on. I went out on the mess deck and the others there were discussing what a good time they had. I asked for details, and realized that they by and large remembered about as much as I did. That was the last time I went out. Oh I went with them from time to time as designated driver, but I never forgot that lesson, so while I enjoy the occasional drink, I&#39;m never really tempted to have more than a drink or two.

2016-11-08T12:56:48-05:00 2016-11-08T12:56:48-05:00 PO1 Private RallyPoint Member 2052119

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Can you elaborate your question? Non-drinkers can be many things. i.e. AA, religious choice, underage, ect. Thanks.

2016-11-08T16:09:13-05:00 2016-11-08T16:09:13-05:00 SGM Harvey Boone 2052174

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I always ordered a soda with a piece of fruit no one ever questioned me I usually ended up the sober driver in the end.

2016-11-08T16:22:55-05:00 2016-11-08T16:22:55-05:00 PV2 Glen Lewis 2052466

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I don&#39;t know how others do it but I just tell myself &quot;Not today.&quot; It&#39;s not like putting the weight of forever on your shoulders. Forever is a long time; not today is just 24 hours. I got that advice from a once very hardcore alcoholic who had used it to successfully stopped. The reason I didn&#39;t say quit is because it too is so finite.

2016-11-08T17:39:04-05:00 2016-11-08T17:39:04-05:00 SGT James Johnson 2052907

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>As a Private back when, I drank enough for three guys. Every payday weekend we were all going out and killing it. After leaving the Army however, I found that I didnt trust anyone enough to get me back home. Not to mention the cost, both in the consumption, and if you get popped for a DUI. Now? I still dont drink and I dont enjoy hanging out with folks who do. Ultimately. Only you can stop yourself.

2016-11-08T20:06:41-05:00 2016-11-08T20:06:41-05:00 PO1 Kevin Arnold 2053154

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Stay away from bars and just ask for something else to drink. Come up with an excuse or just say no thanks.

2016-11-08T22:12:44-05:00 2016-11-08T22:12:44-05:00 MSG Mitch Dumont 2053696

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Many of the comments are pretty good. My personal preference is surround yourself with like thinkers. Have you thought about furthering your education? Do you have a creative side? Simple things like model making or learning a musical instrument to take up your down time.

2016-11-09T02:18:44-05:00 2016-11-09T02:18:44-05:00 Christopher Carf 2054277

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Find something more important than the drink like career, family. Use the thought of losing those to help you say no. Really helps to have supportive friends.

2016-11-09T08:06:30-05:00 2016-11-09T08:06:30-05:00 SGT David Wright 2054564

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Surround yourself with the same caliber of people. If you imply dint drunk then volenteer to be the DD or the call guy. Of your a recovering alcoholic and need to separate yourself from it then fund an out reach program or volunteer to help the community.

2016-11-09T09:58:19-05:00 2016-11-09T09:58:19-05:00 SGT Stanley Bass 2054804

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Personally been around drinking my entire life. Was stationed in Turkey (Desert Storm) 19 years old everybody would shove it in my face. Wasn&#39;t until Korea 1994 (23 years old) I started drinking. Did so for a while. Now it is Birthdays, New years, special occasions I might have 1 or 4. But SGM Steve Wettstein nailed it. Surround yourself with like thinkers. When I go to a fmaily reunion or family function, I am 1 of maybe 5 people 21 and over that does not have an alcoholic drink in their hand. I am not a public drinker, i am a private drinker. PO2 William Allen Crowder does like I do. When I go to bars to shoot pool I am drinking soda.

2016-11-09T11:14:08-05:00 2016-11-09T11:14:08-05:00 PO3 Hahn Ko 2054916

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I just look at my bank account and remind myself I can&#39;t afford it. Lol! On a serious note, I remember my father being an alcoholic and getting the news if he doesn&#39;t stop drinking he will die of liver failure, it was devastating. I don&#39;t like the feeling of being drunk either, but that&#39;s just me.

2016-11-09T11:45:16-05:00 2016-11-09T11:45:16-05:00 SSG Wayne NeSmith 2055306

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Always consider yourself as the designated Driver. It&#39;s a mind game but it works. It give you purpose and motivation. I was in the service for 20 years, spent plenty time around drinkers and never had the desire to start drinking. Not drinking takes so many other possible problems off the table. Plus it sets you aside. As a true Non-drinker, the thought never came up. You should be proud.

2016-11-09T13:45:23-05:00 2016-11-09T13:45:23-05:00 TSgt Private RallyPoint Member 2055336

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>One must stand his/her ground and not give in to drinking.

2016-11-09T13:55:27-05:00 2016-11-09T13:55:27-05:00 MSgt Private RallyPoint Member 2055716

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>First, the thought shouldn&#39;t really come up if you dont drink. <br />However, if you do like to drink and have decided to stop for personal reasons then here are some of the things to keep in.<br />- Reiterate to yourself why you&#39;re not drinking. Maybe write it down and read it when urged.<br />- Surround yourself with people who don&#39;t drink. Don&#39;t put yourself in a conflicting situation if you don&#39;t have the control to resist. You know your limits.<br />- If you have activities, foods, ect whih can be called triggers, that you would normally add a drink to then refrain from them. <br />- Everyone always needs a safe way home, also known as the designated drive (DD). Best excuse not to drink especially when offered. <br />Hope some of this can help.

2016-11-09T15:53:33-05:00 2016-11-09T15:53:33-05:00 SFC Tom Carey 2055967

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Awkward question. As a non drinker, the thought never comes up.

2016-11-09T17:12:47-05:00 2016-11-09T17:12:47-05:00 SSG Mark Franzen 2057279

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>WELL SINCE I WAS A HEAVY DRINKER I HAD TO SIT DOWN ONE DAY SAY WHY AM I DOING THIS TO MYSELF ITS COSTING ALOT OF MONEY ENOUGH THO WHEN I WAS GERMANY IN 1986 JACK AND COKE AT THE CLUB WAS .75 A GLASS MY TAB WAS AROUND 2,000 A MONTH AND SINCE THEN I DONT DRINK ANY MORE OR SMOKE ANY MORE.

2016-11-10T00:23:23-05:00 2016-11-10T00:23:23-05:00 CSM Andrew Perrault 2058200

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Man up and stand you ground, be the designated driver if you are going to hang with folks that drink.

2016-11-10T10:05:36-05:00 2016-11-10T10:05:36-05:00 TSgt Private RallyPoint Member 2076262

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Do you go to meetings???

2016-11-15T10:52:30-05:00 2016-11-15T10:52:30-05:00 SGT Private RallyPoint Member 2122969

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>the &quot;thought&quot; of what?<br />or are you asking..... &quot;How do I avoid drinking?&quot;<br />Stay out of Clubs and Bars.<br />Now... if you are going out with friends, and they are drinking.....<br />just TELL them... &quot;I don&#39;t drink&quot;<br />You could be the &quot;Designated Driver&quot; ......<br />if the question comes up while At a bar.....<br />again.. &quot;Designated Driver&quot; ... that usually shuts people up.<br />(some bars give you free soda)<br />Now.... if you have &quot;friends&quot; that are trying to pressure you into drinking....<br />you&#39;re on your own...... <br />you have to decide if they really are your friends, or not.<br />If they are truly your friends, telling them once &quot;should be enough&quot;<br />if they have already had a few under their belts.... <br />you may have to tell them 2 - 3 times.<br />Always remember..... you don&#39;t HAVE to drink.....<br />don&#39;t let anyone tell you that you do.

2016-12-01T01:59:08-05:00 2016-12-01T01:59:08-05:00 PV2 Glen Lewis 2124576

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I really don&#39;t think about it anymore. I say anymore because until 23 years ago I was a heavy drinker. Like cigarettes I decided to stop and did. Cigarettes I still have a thought of occasionally but this is as close to thinking of drinking I can remember thinking about since I stopped.

2016-12-01T15:05:03-05:00 2016-12-01T15:05:03-05:00 2016-11-05T20:06:11-04:00