[henrydavidtherobot]

I'm posting here because almost no one responded on the addictions forum.

I'm moving to Beijing in 3 weeks and want to not drink, at least for my first few months there, so that I can avoid triggering an episode or avoid exacerbating one when I am so stressed and alone.

I'm not an alcoholic, but I feel that I often feel pressured to drink in social situations to medicate my personality. I don't enjoy the company of most people, but can appreciate them a little if I am drunk. People also often think I am snobby unless I have a couple beers in me. I get bored way less quickly by my environment sober.

I don't want to isolate myself for exhaust myself by talking to people and getting disappointed by them too quickly. What can I do if everyone I start working with just wants to drink?

Advice? Thoughts?

[greentires4me]

you could go with them for a pop or if thats too much to handle then just say I have lots of work to do maybe next time. It will be interesting what their culture is like....

[henrydavidtherobot]

I know that I can order something other than a drink, but that doesn't fix the other stuff. If I don't go out, I won't make friends.

[live2ski66]

I had a period where I was drinking too much and wanted to stop for a while. My doc prescribed Antabuse which is a drug that makes you violently ill (vomit) if you mix it with alcohol. I think it only stays in your system for 24-48 hours. Even though I asked for the drug, I hated having the drug control my life (that is how it felt). To make it more challenging I would take the drug at different times of the day and sometimes miss a day. My intent was that I was not certain if and when I took the Antabuse so I better not drink. If I had kept a regular schedule I would have figure a way around the med.
You may want to try Antabuse, it is an effective deterrent. You don't have to say you are on Antabuse, you can say you are allergic to alcohol. If you slip and end up drinking your reaction will be similar to an allergic reaction.
Good Luck! And I can't wait to hear from you when you get to China.

[henrydavidtherobot]

good advice live2ski, however, I am already having a hard enough time getting the meds I need :/ I leave in 3 weeks. I'll be sure to be in touch when I land

I went to a party tonight for about an hour. I didn't drink at all. however, I only talked to people that I know. I hate meeting people in large groups. Plus, I really don't like drunk people if I'm not drinking. Making friends overseas may be rough

[Tristan H.]

Well in the dive bars you can always content yourself with shishas (water pipes) that are ubiquitous if you want to avoid the alcohol. Plus, despite the enticing price you'll quickly get fed up with the most common stuff around: the beer is like water and baijiu is the most ****ing disgusting ingestible liquid ever invented.

[Verity81]

I'm not sure what the culture is out there? Maybe they're not big drinkers anyway? Yes and drunk people when you are sober are a pain in the ***!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[henrydavidtherobot]

I'll be hanging out with English expats, who tend to be big drinkers haha

[The_little_didgee]

There has to be some expats that don't drink. If so go out with them. It may feel strange at first but you may end up having a lot more fun than you would if you were consuming alcohol.

You could also try social activities that don't involve the consumption of alcohol. I'm sure there is a lot to do in China. Explore the city and its offerings. Visit local markets. Learn about the local people.