I usually just (truthfully) say that I never acquired a taste for it. I also prefer not drinking because I don’t like the idea of possibly doing stupid things or generally losing control, and because the idea of alcoholism scares me enough that I don’t want to risk acquiring a taste for it… but the bit about just disliking them as beverages has worked okay for me as an excuse. (Though I haven’t needed to try it in any “classy” or otherwise mature setting, I’ve only needed to use it with friends who definitely weren’t going to think I was a square as a result.)
You can avoid the possibility of doing stupid things and losing control by limiting yourself to a single drink, consumed slowly. At least, I can; your mileage may vary, though I don’t know how much. Drinking doesn’t necessarily mean drinking a lot, and it’s a shame that getting drunk (or drunk-ish) is so culturally prevalent. Your approach of just not drinking is good too, though.
I usually just (truthfully) say that I never acquired a taste for it. I also prefer not drinking because I don’t like the idea of possibly doing stupid things or generally losing control, and because the idea of alcoholism scares me enough that I don’t want to risk acquiring a taste for it… but the bit about just disliking them as beverages has worked okay for me as an excuse. (Though I haven’t needed to try it in any “classy” or otherwise mature setting, I’ve only needed to use it with friends who definitely weren’t going to think I was a square as a result.)
You can avoid the possibility of doing stupid things and losing control by limiting yourself to a single drink, consumed slowly. At least, I can; your mileage may vary, though I don’t know how much. Drinking doesn’t necessarily mean drinking a lot, and it’s a shame that getting drunk (or drunk-ish) is so culturally prevalent. Your approach of just not drinking is good too, though.