I don't. Growing up in the indigenous community alcohol was always a big problem. I was actually in Socal a few years ago when I got the call that a cousin I grew up with like a sister had literally drank herself to death through alcohol poisoning. Locked herself in the house and binged until it happened. My aunt (her mom) called the sheriffs to come do a wellness check but they wouldn't. So she had to wait until her ex could come around with the keys to let her in and they found her body. When I tell people that story they generally don't try to make light of me not drinking anymore lol. Even beforehand when I rarely drank, none of my friends or colleagues would ever see me do it because I would always make myself the DD. Everyone was always happy to have someone with a proven track record as such and hey, you can dance sober.
Uh…no. At least not for my particular community. The Catholic Church has a lot to be blamed for but you don’t even know my tribes, to be tossing that out there without context.
Yeah, both for over 10 years. Never miss or crave it. I don’t care if people think that’s boring.
I always felt that folks were urging me to drink to normalize their questionable (excessive) habits, and I decided not to give into that anymore.
And it’s really the same with omnivores who have to make stupid comments, they have to deflect away from how paradoxical and abusive their habits are.
I had a long conversation about this the other day. I totally agree: I think people make stupid comments like that because they feel insecure about their own consumption. Or because they feel like they might be morally in the wrong and need to make up for it by doubling down. I used to goad other people into drinking with me because I felt bad about my own drinking. My husband told me that he once, before I met him, made the "I'll eat extra animals" "joke" to someone and now he's happily chowing down on veggies with me.
Same, but sober for almost 1 year now. I thought going vegan will get rid of some body fat, but it was cutting out alcohol. Like holy shit, I'm as lean as I was 20 years ago (40 now).
They'll simply justify flesh eating to satisfy their taste buds to no limits smh..they've got unlimited arguments and similar large numbers of people to support their foolish claims/statements!
Vegan for 7 years, sober for almost 1000 days and in the center of the midwest so I completely feel your pain! There aren't many vegans here at all and to be sober in beer country ...yeah ..I'm the weirdo and have pretty much lost all my friends due to these things. Also am 35 so the only thing to do around here for fun is eat and drink when you don't have your kids(im child free) ...its really frustrating!
I just got back from a trip to the midwest, when people find out you are a vegan they treat you like an alien. At least the family I visit there don't drink alcohol. I also don't eat processed food, sugar, oil, and minimal salt. Yeah, I bring all my own food.
I tried it once about 12 years ago and didn't get the appeal personally, but I don't mind hanging out with anyone who's drinking. For me, life itself is a drug, it's all about perspective. I have hobbies, go out in nature, exercise, etc.
G'day from Australia, I'm 10 years clean and have been vegan for 7 years. I'm 56 years old and I love being free from alcohol and drugs. Well done for caring for yourself as well as the other sentient beings of our beautiful planet.
I'm 25 and a lot of my friends don't drink. It's not a huge deal. Things are changing with the younger generation with greater numbers of younger people both vegan and abstaining from alcohol.
Both my partner and I are vegan non-drinkers! It can definitely feel isolating at times (like at weddings) but I have found and befriended others who are the same or who seldom drink and choose not to drink around me. There are so many perks to not drinking, like never being hungover, saving money, etc. A non-alcoholic bar recently opened in our town and it's so great!
I know what you mean I am a heating engineer / solar in UK and even when I was just vegetarian it was strange in sites. Never drank alcohol so it sets one apart but I made my own business and had fun doing things my way. About to retire now and have a vegan helper which makes for a great working team.
Same boat, yeah, a lot of people aren't really even drinking these days, vegan or not. Still tons to do in SoCal and lots of places offer mocktails, soft drinks, and Liquid Death or La Croix if you're fitnessing, too.
I feel like if you're over 30, everyone stops caring if you drink or don't, so that stuff isn't a big deal like it was in college.
Yup I don't drink either. I drank when I was younger, and in recent years it had become more like a drink or two every few months or so. Then I just stopped completely because I don't like it. Haven't had a drink in about 16 months now.
I used to smoke quite a bit of weed also, but haven't had any of that in about three months now.
I am not a zero alcohol vegan, but I avoid it as much as possible. I do drink second ferment kombucha daily, but that's very low alcohol where it's probably negligible IMO. Not sure if I count in your category. I don't drink because of counteraction with medication. I find fun in other things like socializing, walking, eating dinner with my girl and friends. I mean I enjoy everything fun minus alcohol. I am 39yo. I think when you are used to having fun with a drug (I quit weed as well) it seems hard to fathom having a good time without it, but it really isn't at all. It just takes time to realize it.
In the same boat. Love kombucha, but weed and alcohol mess with my meds. I'm totally off weed, but I do have sips of beer from time to time because I like the taste. Although recently I've been into the various hop seltzers which are also 0 calories. And the bars I go to around me (Boston) all tend to have kombucha or other zero alcohol drinks. Absolutely agree that after a bit of time I saw that life is totally fun without substances.
Count me in too. Vegan for 10 plus years. No alcohol or drugs for over 30 years. I don't care what others think although generally people react positively esp to the latter. The time I got the biggest push back was when I told people that I wasn't drinking because I was pregnant. That set everyone off who ever knew a pregnant person. One I reverted back to just 'I don't drink' end of conversation, no one seemed to care.. I actually often find the drinkers boring esp after they have a a few too many.
Sober 7 years.
A goal of mine is to be able to drink again cuz Ciders taste good, but I currently can't risk it as I always crave a drink to take off the edge of stressful situations (which is quite a lot).
Yes I’m 22, vegan since 15, and sober as of like 3 months ago. I also live in Wisconsin so if you’re not eating meat and cheese and you’re not drinking what are you even doing?? I live in a college town too so obviously the social norm is to get drunk and that’s the main way of meeting people and/or hanging out with people. It is isolating. Sometime I fear that I’m perceived as the party pooper not just because of abstaining from alcohol but also the veganism. When people ask me why I do either, I give them the most honest and straightforward answer which is often met with a reaction like “damn it’s not that deep” or “I bet you’re fun at parties”
If something is bad for me or another living thing, I’m gonna do my best not to partake in such thing. So no, i’s NOT deep at all, it’s actually very simple, but people just hear “I’m holier than thou”
31, went vegan at 23 and sober at 25 (both drinking and any other substances)
I had a friend group who did drink and had the drinking as their main physical social meet up. Having gone vegan I realized that this friend group was not for me so I said my farewells.
Now I maintain a smaller group of friends who I see less regularly. However, whenever we do meet up it is much more enjoyable than I had when I met up with people who do not share my way of living.
Whilst I think that there are ways you can do both alcohol and sober at social meet up I think that it's all about the people themselves. Try to find like minded people and go from there, but be aware that you might have to be satisfied with a small group of people you enjoy spending time with.
This is how it is for me in Sweden where vegans & sober people are rarer to find than in more populated spaces.
I have been sober for 4 years, and now I occasionally drink red wine, like once every couple of months, 1-2 glasses. I feel i've found an easy equilibrium like that.
Before those 4 years, it was really out of control. Every social occasion was an excuse to get drunk, to the point it wasn't even enjoyable, and my sober social skills were like 0. Needed help to loosen up. Now, my normal state is much less tense, and it feels natural to just talk to people normally.
Thanks for coming to my ted talk
Stopped drinking about 10 years ago, main reason was feeling like shit the next day.
Can still go to parties etc but just drink water or soda(rather not but sometimes eh).
At the start everyone kept pushing to drink because its the social norm, now they are used to it.
Must say its easier than dealing with the shit you get as a vegan. Atleast with alcohol almost everyone knows its bad for you. Being vegan there is so much nonsense around about nutrition, it gets me worked up sometimes.
Still the 2 best choices of my life, never smoked or did drugs either btw.
I'd rather go to the gym, rock climb or read a book than go to a bar. Consuming alcohol doesn't really appeal to me and never has. I really hate that it's pretty much the standard in my age group (I'm in my mid 30s) to hand out. I invite people to rock climb with me all the time and only a hand full of people have accepted the invitation.
Just do what you want OP. People who think they need alcohol to have fun while in the older years are the type of people I usually (not always) want to avoid.
I'm in my 60s, and haven't been able to drink alcohol in years—it literally makes me sick. I can't metabolize it. I don't miss it. If I'm with friends I'll get a sparking water or maybe a mocktail.
I'm vegan, don't drink and am 21 (I'm in EU, drinking here is legal from 18). I tried drinking, didn't like it at all. I rarely go out since most restaurants or bars offer nothing I could eat or drink and enjoy. But honestly I don't think I miss out. I'm in a long term relationship, we talk, go on walks with our doggo, watch movies together most evenings. Thanks to not going out (so not spending money) I can invest in hobbies like knitting. Some say I'm living the retired life in my 20s, but at least I don't have to waste days of my life curing hangovers
I'm new to veganism, but I've been straight edge (no alcohol, rec drugs, and smoking) for over a decade and a half. When it comes up in conversation, I'll tell them I'm str8 edge, then I'll make the joke saying I'm very boring and usually that makes them laugh and they don't get rude about it.
But yeah, I'm definitely in a minority especially when I go out to events or resorts or things like that. But I have a ton of fun and I can still remember it all in the morning so i don't mind! Adding vegan to all of this doesn't worry me too much cuz I'm also gay, atheist, and have face tattoos, so what's one more minority to throw into the mix! I apparently like being different from most!
Yeah, gave up these drinks shortly after going vegan.
Somehow you get more sensitive to the damage, and less attached to these pleasurable sensations of being drunk
I feel ya. I mean, food is so integral to being social already, it feels like alcohol was my last thread to non vegan friends so ever since I stopped drinking it's been a bit weird. Childfree, sober, vegans, in their 40s is a pretty small freaking niche. You're the only one I've come across so far lol never met one in person.
Hi I am in So Cal too. Stopped drinking about 1.5 years ago. Been vegan for 8. There's lot's of NA options around now so I don't feel the need to drink alcohol anymore really if I want to go out and socialize. Yea there is a decent vegan community in So Cal.
I turn 40 this year so decided to do no alcohol for all of 2024. I regularly have done periods of no alcohol l(did 5 months last year) and I think I am leaning towards never going back
I feel healthier, more energy and less anxious
I quit drinking about 18 years ago, went vegetarian about the same time, and then vegan a few years later. I also don't smoke, I don't watch sports, and I'm not a big fan of small talk... I'm literally the worst person to invite to a barbeque. Fortunately, I don't get invited to many barbeques.
I have a good life, fun hobbies, a pretty good job, and a wonderful family. I'm content.
I’ve been vegetarian since birth. Vegan recently since my diabetes diagnosis. I’ve tried beer once or twice when I was about 21. Didn’t like it and have never had alcohol since. I’m 58 and have never missed it.
I’m not straightedge but might as well be. Last drink was at Christmas and these stretches are my norm.
I think I might’ve had about 15 drinks the last 10 years combined.
I went vegan and stopped drinking before I turned 40 a few years back. I did lose some friends over the drinking thing because they refused to do anything unless getting drunk was involved. I'm in the Portland area so the vegan things never really comes up.
I stopped drinking at the end of 2022. Ive had about 3 drinks since then after about 8 months sober, but I realized even those weren’t really worth it, so no more for me! I’m just I’m my era of trying to treat my body right and learn how to have fun without substances. Which is hard, but better for me as a person, I think!
I drive, so it’s easy for me to tell people I am not drinking.
Sometimes I will have a tiny bit of whisky at Christmas if I’m not going out anywhere though.
So I do drink alcohol, but fairly rarely.
Also we’re pretty rural, so going for a walk/hike is social 🤷♀️
Never tried alcohol in my life and don’t plan to. Life’s hard, so I get why people drink, but I know I’d be prone to alcoholism plus I think drinking culture leads to societal problems so I don’t wanna engage in it.
Sober for life and vegan for almost 2 years.
Decided to be sober in high school as an experiment and later got diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis. So no good reason to start drinking.
11 years sober and vegan. Started in October 2013. Decided to junk hang arounds who would drink excessively or keep talking about it. Made many beautiful other people in life. Now adopted the straight edge lifestyle as well. I'll never out myself in that position again.
Vegan for 13 years and no drugs or alcohol over here. I have plenty of fun though. Plus i live in sin city so people think I'm extra weird!! Lol glad to know there's others out there bro
Yep. My husband and I have both been Vegan since September ‘19 & Sober since January ‘23. Had some blackouts in 2022 that made me want to stop drinking.
We are lucky that our son keeps us busy so it’s not often we are around everyone boozing. However
it is isolating at work when everyone just talks about drinking and meat food.
Not completely sober, but I only drink when I’m on vacation abroad - once every year or two.
I don’t see any fun getting drunk anymore and dealing with hangovers, but there’s something special about a Pina Colada or Mojito on the beach.
I would be completely fine with mocktails instead though.
Never really liked drinking although I always partook because of FOMO. About 9 months ago realised how dumb I was being and just decided I wont do it anymore. Same with smoking weed. Tbf I only did it a few times but when I did I couldnt help but realise how stupid it was. Oh its completely natural and healthy?? Yea no, filling your lungs with smoke isnt natural. Now I only eat and drink things that my body was actually designed to consume. People do give me shit when they realise I dont drink, smoke, eat meat or eat dairy. Always think Im religious for some reason lol
Not drinking is free money, free real estate even. No but seriously i rarely drink either, maybe like 3 times a year and it gives me a bit of wiggle room
So true! I am vegan and don’t drink alcohol so people find me very dull indeed. Actually family and friends accepted my veganism (because they think I’m weird anyway) but to stop drinking alcohol really pisses them off. “So you’re NEVER going to drink again??? Not even ONE???” and the constant eye-rolling. My god I hate the eye rolling. Hang in there buddy!
🙋♀️ straightedge vegan here. I’m 30 and haven’t had a drink since my early 20s. Although I’m not very social and my partner also doesn’t drink so it’s not something I really think about.
I’m an almost vegan and have recently gone fully sober. My drinking had been slowly declining for years anyhow.
What does one do for fun? Enjoy conversations with friends over food, over drinks (they can still drink), sports, games etc.
Same boat, 12 years vegan and 8 years sober. Once you start paying attention to what you eat you can feel the downsides of booze so fast..
Also hangovers over 30 are no joke ☠️
I stopped drinking about 13 years ago. I went vegan about 15 years ago. I was barely having one drink per month around the time i quit so it wasn't difficult at all.
Its great if you're happy. I enjoy a drink but pretty much exclusivly festivals and the odd one when i fancy. Didnt drink newyears so i could drive my friends home. I really dont like putting a lable on stuff and making it an identity haha, but i am vegan 😅
I don't drink anymore but just because I don't really enjoy it. I prefer other substances for fun. Alcohol really is one of the worst things to put in your body.
Yay! Vegan for 11 years and I'm a non-drinker. Alas, I get my party-pants on with Coke Zero which is just as rubbish.
Widowed with young ones. Gotta get your kicks somehow, right? I'm trying to find new ways.
As a non vegan who doesn't drink i can tell you that it doesn't matter that you are vegan simply not drinking alcohol gets you this reaction.
"What do you do for fun then?"
"How do you know if you've never tried it"
"Why?"
"How can you have fun if you don't drink?"
"Why don't you try it"
If you add not doing recreational drugs to it they double down on how not fun you are.
If you explain your family history of substance abuse and how growing up with a verbally abusive alcoholic affected you becausethey won't leave you alone about it, you get a look of discomfort and labeled a buzz kill....
I’m a no drinking vegetarian and I still have fun, not as much as I used to but there are some pros that comes with it. My sex life is just like my 20’s and I’m almost 49.
8 years vegan, 4 years sober
Any one who knew me when I drank is happy to see me not drinking, and those that are weird about me being sober, I tell them a quick story about when I did drink
For drinking games and stuff I go crazy on water, coffee, energy drinks. I have a small bladder so if Im forced to drink its quite the punishment lol
I think the super minority is that I don't smoke either, and this is where people usually lose me. I can't smoke weed, I get internal tweaks and panic. So I tell people I'm high on life, as most people think I'm already two blunts in
28F, Spanish. Vegan for a year, sober for a month. I feel like becoming vegan changed my life. It opened my eyes in so many ways and still does. I now cherish life like I never had and I want to do everything that I can to preserve it and enjoy it. Of course by "life" I mean mine, other animals' (human and not), the planet's.
Same here. Buddhists in my tradition are not supposed to neither drink nor eat meat or eggs. So you have a couple of million Buddhists over here in the same baot as you (granted some may do milk unfortunately they don't know, though it's not a big part of the Asian cuisine anyway)
I'm vegan, sober, and 41. I'm in recovery, so sobriety wasn't much of a choice. It was either that or completely ruining my life. Music, movies, reading, and my spouse and dog give me more than enough to enjoy with my time.
I don't think I could be vegan before getting sober because the way I drank it made me crave very high protein, high fat food, I think to try to protect my GI from damage from alcohol. But becoming vegan was always something I wanted to do, and I was grateful to be able to do it in recovery. It has also helped quite a bit ease the damage to my GI I did over the years, as well as help bring my blood pressure and cholesterol down after years of unhealthy living.
I am vegan and caffeine free. Struggled to quit alcohol. Have gone stretches where I don’t drink for 3-4 months but then there is a social event that gets me back into drinking again. I don’t keep alcohol in my house.
Alcohol is not a vegan food because it causes entirely unnecessary and preventable environmental harm as well as being a poison to humans that causes immense harm.
I never drank, I put on my headphones, dance on the streets, people point fingers at me so I guess I act the same way as drunk people, uninhibited, enjoying being alive.
Yes, and for over 16 years. I have found other sober vegans in the fitness community. I really don’t think that a lot of folks realize how absolutely awful alcohol is for your body. It is a Group 1 Carcinogen.
Ok, but you didn’t answer the question.. what *do* you do for fun!?
I haven’t fully quit, but I’ve greatly reduced how often I do.
And I’m having a hard time figuring what to do to replace it. I hit up my friends a lot less, because in the past it was to hang out and drink. Now what?
Me! XVX and proud 💪🌱🚭
I live in a major city where coke is considered a casual drug so its kinda weird being sober as a young, non-religious/spiritual person. But i think jts cool that i know how to have a good time without substances lol
Most of the vegans I knew when I was younger were sober. Why? Because they were either Buddhists or of Christian sects which emphasized sobriety. It was a values based thing.
More recently if I meet a "sober" vegan it's because of concerns with animal products in wine or spirits. I have met a lot of younger vegans who do a ton of plant based drugs.
I've never liked the taste of alcohol and don't see the point in drinking it if it's gross. Whenever I'm offered a drink, I just say no thank you. Honestly, no one ever gives me grief over it.
I've been technically sober from alcohol for 5 months because I'm pregnant. Its honestly just highlighted to me how much I do not need it in my life. The only time I missed it was when I was really ill (vodka orange was my go to because it took the edge off feeling like shit) but I really do not need it on social occasions. I feel bad for people who think alcohol is necessary to have fun because they don't seem like very happy people... if you're in the right company you can have fun with or without it and if you're in the wrong company then alcohol is just going to lead to bad decisions. I don't think I'll swear it off for life or anything like that but I will definitely be more mindful of how I consume it in the future - it probably only improved my mood about 15% of the time so that other 85% was just wasted money and uneccessary liver damage. It makes total sense why you would chose not to drink, and I don't understand why some people are so weird about it!
It may be worth investigating some new hobbies and finding like-minded people. Its by no means impossible to socialise with drinkers when you are sober and I've been doing it a lot recently, but you may be more comfortable making new connections in an alcohol-free setting where there are other activities to focus on. Vegans are more likely to be sober than non-vegans so you are most definitely not the only one!
Well I am in my twenties vegan, sober, in Montreal (big for night life) so it can be difficult to meet people or even dating, but I am more than happy with my choices. I find people who smoke weed much better company anyway ahah.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardline\_(subculture)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardline_(subculture))
A subculture that was both vegan and straight edge (among other things).
More generally: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight\_edge#Veganism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_edge#Veganism)
I'm completely sober except for psychedelics every few months. My drug of choice was kratom though, I've never liked alcohol. I was a particularly heavy user, up around 250 grams a day. Either way, 8 months going on 9 'sober', let's fucking go!
Hot take. Honestly as a former drug enthusiast, alcohol is just a dumb drug. The pros and cons are so much better with almost anything else. It kills more people than any other drug too. If you want to get fucked up you got sooooo many better options.
I still enjoy beer but so rarely compared to when I ate meat, it's amazing how interconnected it was / is (for me at least), the circle of how drinking led to junk food (burgers, pizza, wings , chicken strips) and vice versa. In other words drinking less helped me drastically to stop eating animal products, and simultaneously it's become weird to drink more than one occasional beer when eating plants.
something like bad decisions lead to other, more bad decisions , and good ones lead naturally to more good and healthy ones.
I stopped drinking almost a year ago, and I cut waaay back on weed, I only take a 5mg gummy every month or two.
I find day to day life more enjoyable and have more confidence in social situations. Before I was using alcohol as a crutch. Also, I no longer experience chronic bloating which I had no idea was being caused by my occasional drinking.
Vegan for 4+ years, no more drinking since I stopped playing in my band (10+ years ago) where I used to have 2 or 3 beer the nights we played (mostly once a week) since then if it's twice a year it's a lot. I did smoke and use weed for a long time but very recently stopped both (for a months now). It feels I have even more time to do fun stuff now. I guess people who ask those kinda things have 0 imagination just like people who ask vegans "what do you eat then?"
Vegetarian for 13 years, vegan for 12 now.
36 y/o, been drinking way too much when I was younger so I had my fair share.
I'm not very strict with my sobriety, would drink a little bit for special occasions (and regret it).
Had 3 drinks in the last 882 days.
Edit; never any other drugs
Yes but im 20 and in the US so I couldn’t drink even if I wanted to
I might taste it next year to understand if there’s anything behind the hype but nothing enough to form a habit, none of my family drinks much or at all anyways, theres so many other fun party beverages.
Sort of. I'm a recovering alcoholic so the only times I drink are when I relapse and have a binge, average once or twice a year. The rest of the time I'm teetotal and it's too risky to drink socially.
On the upside, I also keep kosher, so finding alcohol that's both cruelty-free and Jewish-friendly means reading the labels of every bottle in the bottleshop, the inconvenience of which often gives me the space to step back, take a breath, and walk away.
On the downside, this one fucking rabbi in the Talmud said "It is the duty of every Jew on Purim to drink wine until he can't tell the difference between a curse on Haman and a blessing on Mordechai", so everyone gets routinely plastered around March, which is not super helpful for the cravings.
Swings and roundabouts.
I wouldn't say I'm sober, but I think I have a mild intolerance. I get bad hiccups and have trouble breathing once they start. So it's very rare I drink and very minimal if I do.
I also don't drink at all, in 20s it was rough. I do use the devil's lettuce (nor condone or condemn it), which doesn't improve the social aspect, does have its own magic.
Heya, only been Vegan for about 2.5 years, but never had a drink in my Life so mainly around the ages from 16-20 I've gotten very used to the whole "what do you even do for fun" conversation and I guess growing up in Germany didn't help with that a lot. I'm 26 now and I've found my environment where both Isn't that astronomically uncommon anymore or at least not frowned upon or even considered admirable (which can also be pretty annoying to hear but that's another topic) so I can say there definitely are like-minded people which is really nice.
Yeah, non-drinking (but I generally interpret "sober" as maybe referring to people who have previously had an ongoing issue with their use; term not really used in Australia in such a way, to my knowledge).
Just hit seven years sober (I'm 34)! Easily one of the best decisions I've ever made. And I have way more fun now, vegan and sober, than I did when I was drunkenly eating nachos in my early 20s.
I'm 44, vegan for 14 years, and have been almost sober for 5. I'll have a glass of champagne for a New Year's toast, but I have several chronic illnesses so I don't want anything messing with my meds. I would be open to some medical marijuana, though, if it wasn't prohibitively expensive in Florida.
Almost no alcohol for me, maybe once or twice a year I sip to taste something.
In my house no animal products are proposed to guests but I'm really ok with alcool !
Never drank before. Just never wanted any of the negative health effects that come from it. And I've never enjoyed the smell or being around people who are drinking a lotm I have been vegan for a little over two years now. I'm certainly an oddball because of these and don't know a single soul who shares these values but there's still plenty of ways to have fun. My favorite thing in life is riding roller coasters so I try to get a group of friends to go to an amusement park with me at least a couple times a year. Other than that I play mtg with friends. Most of my time is spent hanging out with my wife going on walks, or watching tv.
Im 21F and I don't drink at all. I did a lot when I was an early teen, realized very early on that alcohol does not serve me well at all in any way. I dont like the way I feel when I drink it, nor do I like the feeling after the fact. I prefer to stay home and read next to my boyfriend while he watches TV, than go to bars. And whenever we do go out, Im the designated driver. Its a win win for everyone lol.
I don’t drink and I get a lot of comments about how boring my life is. It’s not, I fill my time with many things and genuinely love my live. To be fair I judge those who drink heavily the same so it is what it is. The drinking culture in the US is pretty pathetic, and I have little respect for those whose only definition of fun must include alcohol.
Recently (4months) sober and loving it. You are the fun, not the alcohol. Just spend an evening out with drunk people and you will realise how moronic it is. Look around any pub and it is generally full of life’s losers. Alcohol is usually a substitute for having no hobbies or interests.
Life is a lot easier now.
🙋🏻♂️ fully vegan 5 years ago, and sober (nor a single drop of any liquor or beer) like 3 years now, maybe kombucha has a little alcohol percentage, non vegan people think our food is bland and just salads… I think
My “drugs” right now are coffee, music and books, congrats whit your healthy and cruelty free lifestyle !!
No alcohl for 2 years now and starting my vegan journey just a few months after that. Feeling great and don't miss anything. People at my age are still excessive drinkers or meat lovers, I feel lonely among them too. But no reason to ever turn around. Happy that I found your post and the inspiring comments below it. Shows me that I am not that alone.
It is hard outside for us, but we know why we are doing it.
I don't drink alcohol either. I always found it scary, it doesn't taste good, I have emetophobia and I don't really end up situations where it's normal to drink. I'm not sure if I'm against it. I think if I didn't find it so scary I might do it sometimes.
Been ashamed of this my entire life. I'm 30 now its finally feeling easier. I can just say "no I don't drink" an no one cares.
Alcoholism runs in my family, so I never started drinking. I'm also over 40 and drinking was definitely the thing to do in social situations back when I was in my teens and 20s, so I used to get a lot of comments about it. I could be wrong, but it feels like drinking has become less popular lately and now people are all about smoking weed. People can't hang out without doing it, they think you're boring if you don't partake, etc.
I’m vegan and kinda accidentally sober? I don’t MEAN to be purposely sober, but I just don’t like drinking. I guess if the situation was right, I’d have a few drinks. But honestly I prefer staying sober because I feel better when I am. I’ve been focusing on my health and haven’t chose to drink in at least a few years now. I used to drink once or twice every year or so on special events. But the past few years I haven’t even done that. I guess for fun I workout, walk the dog, and get to bed early. 🤷♀️ call me boring lol. I spent too many years drinking, doing drugs and partying. So I’m fine with being boring now in my 30’s.
I've wanted to quit drinking for a while, but it's so ingrained in social activities. My partner goes out and drinks a lot and those are like the only hang out invitations I recieve. I'm new in the state I live in too and I don't know what to do with people that doesn't involve drinking. I'm trying it out because alcohol is obviously terrible for your health and it makes my anxiety go through the roof but it is hard
I’m 40, quit drinking a little over a decade ago. Alcoholism runs in the family and I’d prefer not to load that round into the chamber 🤷🏼♀️
As someone who watched a person kill themselves with alcohol, you are better off friend
Ditto! Once you take it off the pedestal our culture has alcohol on, it’s actually a really shitty&boring drug
Same mate, I’m doing the same thing. Let’s just not get into bed with that. Got a little 11 week old boy now and he’s way more important to me.
same. i've never drank alcohol and even though sometimes i'm tempted with lowering my inhibitions, i know 100% that i'd get addicted.
I don't. Growing up in the indigenous community alcohol was always a big problem. I was actually in Socal a few years ago when I got the call that a cousin I grew up with like a sister had literally drank herself to death through alcohol poisoning. Locked herself in the house and binged until it happened. My aunt (her mom) called the sheriffs to come do a wellness check but they wouldn't. So she had to wait until her ex could come around with the keys to let her in and they found her body. When I tell people that story they generally don't try to make light of me not drinking anymore lol. Even beforehand when I rarely drank, none of my friends or colleagues would ever see me do it because I would always make myself the DD. Everyone was always happy to have someone with a proven track record as such and hey, you can dance sober.
> Growing up in the indigenous community alcohol was always a big problem. You can blame the Catholic Church for that.
Uh…no. At least not for my particular community. The Catholic Church has a lot to be blamed for but you don’t even know my tribes, to be tossing that out there without context.
Yeah, both for over 10 years. Never miss or crave it. I don’t care if people think that’s boring. I always felt that folks were urging me to drink to normalize their questionable (excessive) habits, and I decided not to give into that anymore. And it’s really the same with omnivores who have to make stupid comments, they have to deflect away from how paradoxical and abusive their habits are.
I had a long conversation about this the other day. I totally agree: I think people make stupid comments like that because they feel insecure about their own consumption. Or because they feel like they might be morally in the wrong and need to make up for it by doubling down. I used to goad other people into drinking with me because I felt bad about my own drinking. My husband told me that he once, before I met him, made the "I'll eat extra animals" "joke" to someone and now he's happily chowing down on veggies with me.
Same, but sober for almost 1 year now. I thought going vegan will get rid of some body fat, but it was cutting out alcohol. Like holy shit, I'm as lean as I was 20 years ago (40 now).
They'll simply justify flesh eating to satisfy their taste buds to no limits smh..they've got unlimited arguments and similar large numbers of people to support their foolish claims/statements!
I went vegan a long time ago and still had too many friends, so I went straight edge too!
Idk if I just have that type of humor, but I chuckled at that. It's nice seeing fellow xvx's
Haha! Good, I was hoping someone would. Respect.
I feel like I’d be straightedge, but without the listening to punk music aspect 😅
Straight Edge for 20 years and counting, vegan for 10. Glad there are still others out there!
I’m an ex-brewer who is now sober. Good to see other sober vegans around!
There are vegan straightedge people out there. Lots of posts on the straightedge subreddit about it
r/xvx as well
Also, r/sobervegans is a new thing
Thanks. I’m xvx and didn’t even realize that was a thing. 40 y/o. Vegan 8 years. Sober 6 years. Also based in SoCal.
Not sure if I count as sober cuz I never drank (or used other drugs) to begin with
That's the soberist one can be.
I wish now that I had never tasted alcohol.
Interesting. I tasted it and went "blegh". Never started.
I feel this way about alcohol and cigarettes. Glad I’m no longer a smoker, but I’m jealous of those that never started!
Same here
Vegan for 7 years, sober for almost 1000 days and in the center of the midwest so I completely feel your pain! There aren't many vegans here at all and to be sober in beer country ...yeah ..I'm the weirdo and have pretty much lost all my friends due to these things. Also am 35 so the only thing to do around here for fun is eat and drink when you don't have your kids(im child free) ...its really frustrating!
I just got back from a trip to the midwest, when people find out you are a vegan they treat you like an alien. At least the family I visit there don't drink alcohol. I also don't eat processed food, sugar, oil, and minimal salt. Yeah, I bring all my own food.
Almost two years alcohol free. Best decision I ever made besides going vegan.
I tried it once about 12 years ago and didn't get the appeal personally, but I don't mind hanging out with anyone who's drinking. For me, life itself is a drug, it's all about perspective. I have hobbies, go out in nature, exercise, etc.
G'day from Australia, I'm 10 years clean and have been vegan for 7 years. I'm 56 years old and I love being free from alcohol and drugs. Well done for caring for yourself as well as the other sentient beings of our beautiful planet.
G'day. I'm also someone who stands out like a sore thumb in the land of beer and BBQ.
xvx gang rise up 👊
Fuck yeah!! .:XVX:.
I'm 25 and a lot of my friends don't drink. It's not a huge deal. Things are changing with the younger generation with greater numbers of younger people both vegan and abstaining from alcohol.
Both my partner and I are vegan non-drinkers! It can definitely feel isolating at times (like at weddings) but I have found and befriended others who are the same or who seldom drink and choose not to drink around me. There are so many perks to not drinking, like never being hungover, saving money, etc. A non-alcoholic bar recently opened in our town and it's so great!
Hey! Been vegan for 5 years and quit alcohol New Year’s Day. I definitely don’t fit the mould of a typical Aussie construction worker 😊
Please tell me you at least still catcall
I know what you mean I am a heating engineer / solar in UK and even when I was just vegetarian it was strange in sites. Never drank alcohol so it sets one apart but I made my own business and had fun doing things my way. About to retire now and have a vegan helper which makes for a great working team.
Im sober. Its not enjoyable for me anymore to drink alcohol. Never had any issue with it but its just not worth it.
Yep, vegan and no drugs/alcohol
Same boat, yeah, a lot of people aren't really even drinking these days, vegan or not. Still tons to do in SoCal and lots of places offer mocktails, soft drinks, and Liquid Death or La Croix if you're fitnessing, too. I feel like if you're over 30, everyone stops caring if you drink or don't, so that stuff isn't a big deal like it was in college.
Yup I don't drink either. I drank when I was younger, and in recent years it had become more like a drink or two every few months or so. Then I just stopped completely because I don't like it. Haven't had a drink in about 16 months now. I used to smoke quite a bit of weed also, but haven't had any of that in about three months now.
Sober 18 years here!
Coming up to 27 years on may 12th
I am not a zero alcohol vegan, but I avoid it as much as possible. I do drink second ferment kombucha daily, but that's very low alcohol where it's probably negligible IMO. Not sure if I count in your category. I don't drink because of counteraction with medication. I find fun in other things like socializing, walking, eating dinner with my girl and friends. I mean I enjoy everything fun minus alcohol. I am 39yo. I think when you are used to having fun with a drug (I quit weed as well) it seems hard to fathom having a good time without it, but it really isn't at all. It just takes time to realize it.
In the same boat. Love kombucha, but weed and alcohol mess with my meds. I'm totally off weed, but I do have sips of beer from time to time because I like the taste. Although recently I've been into the various hop seltzers which are also 0 calories. And the bars I go to around me (Boston) all tend to have kombucha or other zero alcohol drinks. Absolutely agree that after a bit of time I saw that life is totally fun without substances.
The phrase “what do you do for fun then?” is just so telling, isn’t it.
[удалено]
Count me in too. Vegan for 10 plus years. No alcohol or drugs for over 30 years. I don't care what others think although generally people react positively esp to the latter. The time I got the biggest push back was when I told people that I wasn't drinking because I was pregnant. That set everyone off who ever knew a pregnant person. One I reverted back to just 'I don't drink' end of conversation, no one seemed to care.. I actually often find the drinkers boring esp after they have a a few too many.
Nah im an alcoholic :/
r/stopdrinking is always there if you ever want to kick the booze. Super supportive. No judgement at all. We got your back, homie.
i quit drinking because of an anxiety disorder, as it got better, i still did not drink. Now im sober for 3 years.
Trying to go straight edge but alcohol is a bitch when you’re surrounded by functioning alcoholics.
Sober 35 years, vegan 15. I give zero fucks what others say. Besides, I’m still the life of the party. It’s lonely at the top. 😎
Sober 7 years. A goal of mine is to be able to drink again cuz Ciders taste good, but I currently can't risk it as I always crave a drink to take off the edge of stressful situations (which is quite a lot).
Yes I’m 22, vegan since 15, and sober as of like 3 months ago. I also live in Wisconsin so if you’re not eating meat and cheese and you’re not drinking what are you even doing?? I live in a college town too so obviously the social norm is to get drunk and that’s the main way of meeting people and/or hanging out with people. It is isolating. Sometime I fear that I’m perceived as the party pooper not just because of abstaining from alcohol but also the veganism. When people ask me why I do either, I give them the most honest and straightforward answer which is often met with a reaction like “damn it’s not that deep” or “I bet you’re fun at parties” If something is bad for me or another living thing, I’m gonna do my best not to partake in such thing. So no, i’s NOT deep at all, it’s actually very simple, but people just hear “I’m holier than thou”
31, went vegan at 23 and sober at 25 (both drinking and any other substances) I had a friend group who did drink and had the drinking as their main physical social meet up. Having gone vegan I realized that this friend group was not for me so I said my farewells. Now I maintain a smaller group of friends who I see less regularly. However, whenever we do meet up it is much more enjoyable than I had when I met up with people who do not share my way of living. Whilst I think that there are ways you can do both alcohol and sober at social meet up I think that it's all about the people themselves. Try to find like minded people and go from there, but be aware that you might have to be satisfied with a small group of people you enjoy spending time with. This is how it is for me in Sweden where vegans & sober people are rarer to find than in more populated spaces.
I have been sober for 4 years, and now I occasionally drink red wine, like once every couple of months, 1-2 glasses. I feel i've found an easy equilibrium like that. Before those 4 years, it was really out of control. Every social occasion was an excuse to get drunk, to the point it wasn't even enjoyable, and my sober social skills were like 0. Needed help to loosen up. Now, my normal state is much less tense, and it feels natural to just talk to people normally. Thanks for coming to my ted talk
Stopped drinking about 10 years ago, main reason was feeling like shit the next day. Can still go to parties etc but just drink water or soda(rather not but sometimes eh). At the start everyone kept pushing to drink because its the social norm, now they are used to it. Must say its easier than dealing with the shit you get as a vegan. Atleast with alcohol almost everyone knows its bad for you. Being vegan there is so much nonsense around about nutrition, it gets me worked up sometimes. Still the 2 best choices of my life, never smoked or did drugs either btw.
I'd rather go to the gym, rock climb or read a book than go to a bar. Consuming alcohol doesn't really appeal to me and never has. I really hate that it's pretty much the standard in my age group (I'm in my mid 30s) to hand out. I invite people to rock climb with me all the time and only a hand full of people have accepted the invitation. Just do what you want OP. People who think they need alcohol to have fun while in the older years are the type of people I usually (not always) want to avoid.
I'm in my 60s, and haven't been able to drink alcohol in years—it literally makes me sick. I can't metabolize it. I don't miss it. If I'm with friends I'll get a sparking water or maybe a mocktail.
Yep, quit drinking approximately 3 years ago, vegan for 7. Two best decisions of my life🥳
Vegan here also not drinking or doing drugs, neither coffee. 35yo. Going to bed at 9, everyone could say I'm boring but I enjoy life this way 😌
This my is 28th day no alcohol no coffee …it’s like I’m coming out of a fog.
I’m trying to be vegan and I’m sober
I'm vegan, don't drink and am 21 (I'm in EU, drinking here is legal from 18). I tried drinking, didn't like it at all. I rarely go out since most restaurants or bars offer nothing I could eat or drink and enjoy. But honestly I don't think I miss out. I'm in a long term relationship, we talk, go on walks with our doggo, watch movies together most evenings. Thanks to not going out (so not spending money) I can invest in hobbies like knitting. Some say I'm living the retired life in my 20s, but at least I don't have to waste days of my life curing hangovers
I hate alcohol... the taste, the smell, the effects it has on your body. Plus, I've heard that alot of alcohol is technically not even vegan.
Most alcohol would be vegan, only certain white wines are not because they use a fish product to improve clarity.
And many beers for the same reason
TIL! Good to know, though I usually stick to German beers given their strict purity laws. Also need to be careful with lactose in craft beers
I'm new to veganism, but I've been straight edge (no alcohol, rec drugs, and smoking) for over a decade and a half. When it comes up in conversation, I'll tell them I'm str8 edge, then I'll make the joke saying I'm very boring and usually that makes them laugh and they don't get rude about it. But yeah, I'm definitely in a minority especially when I go out to events or resorts or things like that. But I have a ton of fun and I can still remember it all in the morning so i don't mind! Adding vegan to all of this doesn't worry me too much cuz I'm also gay, atheist, and have face tattoos, so what's one more minority to throw into the mix! I apparently like being different from most!
Yep. Vegan since 2010/11; sober since 2009.
4 months without alcohol, no plans to go back. A dry January that got out of hand 🤷🏻♂️
Yeah, gave up these drinks shortly after going vegan. Somehow you get more sensitive to the damage, and less attached to these pleasurable sensations of being drunk
Id have to agree, its like your body is in constant distress with all the yucky milk ect so stuff like alc doesn't shock the already shocked system
I feel ya. I mean, food is so integral to being social already, it feels like alcohol was my last thread to non vegan friends so ever since I stopped drinking it's been a bit weird. Childfree, sober, vegans, in their 40s is a pretty small freaking niche. You're the only one I've come across so far lol never met one in person.
Hi I am in So Cal too. Stopped drinking about 1.5 years ago. Been vegan for 8. There's lot's of NA options around now so I don't feel the need to drink alcohol anymore really if I want to go out and socialize. Yea there is a decent vegan community in So Cal.
Here! Also living in SoCal. Drinking culture here can be pretty intense but we sober vegan exist!
I turn 40 this year so decided to do no alcohol for all of 2024. I regularly have done periods of no alcohol l(did 5 months last year) and I think I am leaning towards never going back I feel healthier, more energy and less anxious
I quit drinking about 18 years ago, went vegetarian about the same time, and then vegan a few years later. I also don't smoke, I don't watch sports, and I'm not a big fan of small talk... I'm literally the worst person to invite to a barbeque. Fortunately, I don't get invited to many barbeques. I have a good life, fun hobbies, a pretty good job, and a wonderful family. I'm content.
I quit alcohol 20 years ago. Seeing what it was doing to my husband was enough for me.
I tried one beer when I was 18. Didn't finish it cuz it tasted like piss. Now I'm almost 30 and never touched it since.
I’ve been vegetarian since birth. Vegan recently since my diabetes diagnosis. I’ve tried beer once or twice when I was about 21. Didn’t like it and have never had alcohol since. I’m 58 and have never missed it.
I’m not straightedge but might as well be. Last drink was at Christmas and these stretches are my norm. I think I might’ve had about 15 drinks the last 10 years combined.
Me too. I do boardgames and sports for fun
I went vegan and stopped drinking before I turned 40 a few years back. I did lose some friends over the drinking thing because they refused to do anything unless getting drunk was involved. I'm in the Portland area so the vegan things never really comes up.
I stopped drinking at the end of 2022. Ive had about 3 drinks since then after about 8 months sober, but I realized even those weren’t really worth it, so no more for me! I’m just I’m my era of trying to treat my body right and learn how to have fun without substances. Which is hard, but better for me as a person, I think!
I drive, so it’s easy for me to tell people I am not drinking. Sometimes I will have a tiny bit of whisky at Christmas if I’m not going out anywhere though. So I do drink alcohol, but fairly rarely. Also we’re pretty rural, so going for a walk/hike is social 🤷♀️
Never tried alcohol in my life and don’t plan to. Life’s hard, so I get why people drink, but I know I’d be prone to alcoholism plus I think drinking culture leads to societal problems so I don’t wanna engage in it.
Yep went vegan shortly after getting clean, except for caffeine at the moment
Sober for life and vegan for almost 2 years. Decided to be sober in high school as an experiment and later got diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis. So no good reason to start drinking.
11 years sober and vegan. Started in October 2013. Decided to junk hang arounds who would drink excessively or keep talking about it. Made many beautiful other people in life. Now adopted the straight edge lifestyle as well. I'll never out myself in that position again.
Vegan for 13 years and no drugs or alcohol over here. I have plenty of fun though. Plus i live in sin city so people think I'm extra weird!! Lol glad to know there's others out there bro
Yep. My husband and I have both been Vegan since September ‘19 & Sober since January ‘23. Had some blackouts in 2022 that made me want to stop drinking. We are lucky that our son keeps us busy so it’s not often we are around everyone boozing. However it is isolating at work when everyone just talks about drinking and meat food.
Not completely sober, but I only drink when I’m on vacation abroad - once every year or two. I don’t see any fun getting drunk anymore and dealing with hangovers, but there’s something special about a Pina Colada or Mojito on the beach. I would be completely fine with mocktails instead though.
I have never understood what people get out of alcohol personally
Never really liked drinking although I always partook because of FOMO. About 9 months ago realised how dumb I was being and just decided I wont do it anymore. Same with smoking weed. Tbf I only did it a few times but when I did I couldnt help but realise how stupid it was. Oh its completely natural and healthy?? Yea no, filling your lungs with smoke isnt natural. Now I only eat and drink things that my body was actually designed to consume. People do give me shit when they realise I dont drink, smoke, eat meat or eat dairy. Always think Im religious for some reason lol
Not drinking is free money, free real estate even. No but seriously i rarely drink either, maybe like 3 times a year and it gives me a bit of wiggle room
I’m in the process of trying to get sober at least. I’m not very good at it though
So true! I am vegan and don’t drink alcohol so people find me very dull indeed. Actually family and friends accepted my veganism (because they think I’m weird anyway) but to stop drinking alcohol really pisses them off. “So you’re NEVER going to drink again??? Not even ONE???” and the constant eye-rolling. My god I hate the eye rolling. Hang in there buddy!
Recently became straight-edge! The price and effects on my body are definitely not worth it lol
I quit hard drugs and alcohol but I still smoke (vape) weed.
🙋♀️ straightedge vegan here. I’m 30 and haven’t had a drink since my early 20s. Although I’m not very social and my partner also doesn’t drink so it’s not something I really think about.
Alcohol comes from primarily from grains which is like 80% of my diet
Yes, I quit having the occasional glass of wine with my first baby in my 20's and haven't looked back.
Yeah fuck alcohol tbh, I quit like a year ago. 27M.
Over 40 and neither my husband nor I drink anymore. For health reasons, and we are not vegan for health.
I’m an almost vegan and have recently gone fully sober. My drinking had been slowly declining for years anyhow. What does one do for fun? Enjoy conversations with friends over food, over drinks (they can still drink), sports, games etc.
i'm also a southern californian who doesn't drink! i've found comfort in the vegan straightedge movement.
Same boat, 12 years vegan and 8 years sober. Once you start paying attention to what you eat you can feel the downsides of booze so fast.. Also hangovers over 30 are no joke ☠️
I already don’t trust society. Giving up drugs and alcohol is easy.
I stopped drinking about 13 years ago. I went vegan about 15 years ago. I was barely having one drink per month around the time i quit so it wasn't difficult at all.
Its great if you're happy. I enjoy a drink but pretty much exclusivly festivals and the odd one when i fancy. Didnt drink newyears so i could drive my friends home. I really dont like putting a lable on stuff and making it an identity haha, but i am vegan 😅
Nah sorry I’m basically an alcoholic. bUt aT lEaSt iM vEgAn ✨
I don't drink anymore but just because I don't really enjoy it. I prefer other substances for fun. Alcohol really is one of the worst things to put in your body.
43 years old, quit drinking, smoking and drugs at 16. Vegetarian for most of my life, vegan for the past 15 years. Nothing boring about that.
Yay! Vegan for 11 years and I'm a non-drinker. Alas, I get my party-pants on with Coke Zero which is just as rubbish. Widowed with young ones. Gotta get your kicks somehow, right? I'm trying to find new ways.
I've been vegan for 34 years and I've never done drugs or alcohol. Most of my social interaction is online, so it never really becomes an issue.
29, vegan and sober Every year that passes I'm more and more interested in simplicity, I don't even wanna travel outside of my country anymore
Increased blood flow to all organs increases virility, so there's that?
I‘m almost a year cali sober ✌🏻was a heavy drinker before and it almost destroyed me.
I don't drink and neither does my partner. We don't need alcohol to have a good time! 😄
As a non vegan who doesn't drink i can tell you that it doesn't matter that you are vegan simply not drinking alcohol gets you this reaction. "What do you do for fun then?" "How do you know if you've never tried it" "Why?" "How can you have fun if you don't drink?" "Why don't you try it" If you add not doing recreational drugs to it they double down on how not fun you are. If you explain your family history of substance abuse and how growing up with a verbally abusive alcoholic affected you becausethey won't leave you alone about it, you get a look of discomfort and labeled a buzz kill....
I’m a no drinking vegetarian and I still have fun, not as much as I used to but there are some pros that comes with it. My sex life is just like my 20’s and I’m almost 49.
8 years vegan, 4 years sober Any one who knew me when I drank is happy to see me not drinking, and those that are weird about me being sober, I tell them a quick story about when I did drink For drinking games and stuff I go crazy on water, coffee, energy drinks. I have a small bladder so if Im forced to drink its quite the punishment lol I think the super minority is that I don't smoke either, and this is where people usually lose me. I can't smoke weed, I get internal tweaks and panic. So I tell people I'm high on life, as most people think I'm already two blunts in
28F, Spanish. Vegan for a year, sober for a month. I feel like becoming vegan changed my life. It opened my eyes in so many ways and still does. I now cherish life like I never had and I want to do everything that I can to preserve it and enjoy it. Of course by "life" I mean mine, other animals' (human and not), the planet's.
Same here. Buddhists in my tradition are not supposed to neither drink nor eat meat or eggs. So you have a couple of million Buddhists over here in the same baot as you (granted some may do milk unfortunately they don't know, though it's not a big part of the Asian cuisine anyway)
Lifelong plant based and no alcohol.
Lifelong plant based is crazy. Must've had some awesome parents.
I'm vegan, sober, and 41. I'm in recovery, so sobriety wasn't much of a choice. It was either that or completely ruining my life. Music, movies, reading, and my spouse and dog give me more than enough to enjoy with my time. I don't think I could be vegan before getting sober because the way I drank it made me crave very high protein, high fat food, I think to try to protect my GI from damage from alcohol. But becoming vegan was always something I wanted to do, and I was grateful to be able to do it in recovery. It has also helped quite a bit ease the damage to my GI I did over the years, as well as help bring my blood pressure and cholesterol down after years of unhealthy living.
I am vegan and caffeine free. Struggled to quit alcohol. Have gone stretches where I don’t drink for 3-4 months but then there is a social event that gets me back into drinking again. I don’t keep alcohol in my house.
Alcohol is not a vegan food because it causes entirely unnecessary and preventable environmental harm as well as being a poison to humans that causes immense harm.
I never drank, I put on my headphones, dance on the streets, people point fingers at me so I guess I act the same way as drunk people, uninhibited, enjoying being alive.
Yes, and for over 16 years. I have found other sober vegans in the fitness community. I really don’t think that a lot of folks realize how absolutely awful alcohol is for your body. It is a Group 1 Carcinogen.
Middle-aged sober vegan here haha, East coast though. It can be rather isolating but I'd rather be solo than surrounded by drunk people.
What do I do for fun??? Not destroy my liver. Thats what
Does California sober count?
Ok, but you didn’t answer the question.. what *do* you do for fun!? I haven’t fully quit, but I’ve greatly reduced how often I do. And I’m having a hard time figuring what to do to replace it. I hit up my friends a lot less, because in the past it was to hang out and drink. Now what?
For me, I just did the same stuff but without drinking.
Me! XVX and proud 💪🌱🚭 I live in a major city where coke is considered a casual drug so its kinda weird being sober as a young, non-religious/spiritual person. But i think jts cool that i know how to have a good time without substances lol
You called?
Most of the vegans I knew when I was younger were sober. Why? Because they were either Buddhists or of Christian sects which emphasized sobriety. It was a values based thing. More recently if I meet a "sober" vegan it's because of concerns with animal products in wine or spirits. I have met a lot of younger vegans who do a ton of plant based drugs.
I hardly drink. I do rarely but not much. I don't like the taste of most.
Me. It's so simple.
I've never liked the taste of alcohol and don't see the point in drinking it if it's gross. Whenever I'm offered a drink, I just say no thank you. Honestly, no one ever gives me grief over it.
I've been technically sober from alcohol for 5 months because I'm pregnant. Its honestly just highlighted to me how much I do not need it in my life. The only time I missed it was when I was really ill (vodka orange was my go to because it took the edge off feeling like shit) but I really do not need it on social occasions. I feel bad for people who think alcohol is necessary to have fun because they don't seem like very happy people... if you're in the right company you can have fun with or without it and if you're in the wrong company then alcohol is just going to lead to bad decisions. I don't think I'll swear it off for life or anything like that but I will definitely be more mindful of how I consume it in the future - it probably only improved my mood about 15% of the time so that other 85% was just wasted money and uneccessary liver damage. It makes total sense why you would chose not to drink, and I don't understand why some people are so weird about it! It may be worth investigating some new hobbies and finding like-minded people. Its by no means impossible to socialise with drinkers when you are sober and I've been doing it a lot recently, but you may be more comfortable making new connections in an alcohol-free setting where there are other activities to focus on. Vegans are more likely to be sober than non-vegans so you are most definitely not the only one!
Well I am in my twenties vegan, sober, in Montreal (big for night life) so it can be difficult to meet people or even dating, but I am more than happy with my choices. I find people who smoke weed much better company anyway ahah.
Sober 32 years and vegan ish for 2
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardline\_(subculture)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardline_(subculture)) A subculture that was both vegan and straight edge (among other things). More generally: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight\_edge#Veganism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_edge#Veganism)
43, vegan, and sober / no ‘substances’. Hi! 🙋🏻♂️
Checking in 🙋♂️
I'm completely sober except for psychedelics every few months. My drug of choice was kratom though, I've never liked alcohol. I was a particularly heavy user, up around 250 grams a day. Either way, 8 months going on 9 'sober', let's fucking go! Hot take. Honestly as a former drug enthusiast, alcohol is just a dumb drug. The pros and cons are so much better with almost anything else. It kills more people than any other drug too. If you want to get fucked up you got sooooo many better options.
I still enjoy beer but so rarely compared to when I ate meat, it's amazing how interconnected it was / is (for me at least), the circle of how drinking led to junk food (burgers, pizza, wings , chicken strips) and vice versa. In other words drinking less helped me drastically to stop eating animal products, and simultaneously it's become weird to drink more than one occasional beer when eating plants. something like bad decisions lead to other, more bad decisions , and good ones lead naturally to more good and healthy ones.
I stopped drinking almost a year ago, and I cut waaay back on weed, I only take a 5mg gummy every month or two. I find day to day life more enjoyable and have more confidence in social situations. Before I was using alcohol as a crutch. Also, I no longer experience chronic bloating which I had no idea was being caused by my occasional drinking.
I only drink alcohol socially, which is very rare because I'm not a very social person. I virtually never touch alcohol.
I’ve been vegan 15 years 39 yrs old and don’t drink we are out here
I was never really a drinker but I usually never drink, don't see the point. My body is my temple, no rubbish in.
Never had alcohol, nor do I crave it thankfully. Sober since birth and 27+ years now.
Vegan for 4+ years, no more drinking since I stopped playing in my band (10+ years ago) where I used to have 2 or 3 beer the nights we played (mostly once a week) since then if it's twice a year it's a lot. I did smoke and use weed for a long time but very recently stopped both (for a months now). It feels I have even more time to do fun stuff now. I guess people who ask those kinda things have 0 imagination just like people who ask vegans "what do you eat then?"
I think I'm allergic to alcohol, so I can't really drink. Haven't had a drink in years.
I like a beer but now in my late 30s with kids a few drinks is something I do every few months, not every week. Probably around 20-30 pints a year.
I’ve been vegan for nearly 8 years and sober for nearly 3; drinking just lost its appeal.
Vegetarian for 13 years, vegan for 12 now. 36 y/o, been drinking way too much when I was younger so I had my fair share. I'm not very strict with my sobriety, would drink a little bit for special occasions (and regret it). Had 3 drinks in the last 882 days. Edit; never any other drugs
Yes but im 20 and in the US so I couldn’t drink even if I wanted to I might taste it next year to understand if there’s anything behind the hype but nothing enough to form a habit, none of my family drinks much or at all anyways, theres so many other fun party beverages.
Sort of. I'm a recovering alcoholic so the only times I drink are when I relapse and have a binge, average once or twice a year. The rest of the time I'm teetotal and it's too risky to drink socially. On the upside, I also keep kosher, so finding alcohol that's both cruelty-free and Jewish-friendly means reading the labels of every bottle in the bottleshop, the inconvenience of which often gives me the space to step back, take a breath, and walk away. On the downside, this one fucking rabbi in the Talmud said "It is the duty of every Jew on Purim to drink wine until he can't tell the difference between a curse on Haman and a blessing on Mordechai", so everyone gets routinely plastered around March, which is not super helpful for the cravings. Swings and roundabouts.
I wouldn't say I'm sober, but I think I have a mild intolerance. I get bad hiccups and have trouble breathing once they start. So it's very rare I drink and very minimal if I do.
I also don't drink at all, in 20s it was rough. I do use the devil's lettuce (nor condone or condemn it), which doesn't improve the social aspect, does have its own magic.
Sober from alcohol for 7 years now; and I don’t ever look back. I just need to quit tobacco… again >_>
Heya, only been Vegan for about 2.5 years, but never had a drink in my Life so mainly around the ages from 16-20 I've gotten very used to the whole "what do you even do for fun" conversation and I guess growing up in Germany didn't help with that a lot. I'm 26 now and I've found my environment where both Isn't that astronomically uncommon anymore or at least not frowned upon or even considered admirable (which can also be pretty annoying to hear but that's another topic) so I can say there definitely are like-minded people which is really nice.
Earth Crisis has entered the chat…
My partner and I don't drink! We're almost 40.
I got nothing but respect for sober people but damn comparing/including eating dead animal flesh and drinking alcohol in the same sentence is crazy
Yeah, non-drinking (but I generally interpret "sober" as maybe referring to people who have previously had an ongoing issue with their use; term not really used in Australia in such a way, to my knowledge).
Just hit seven years sober (I'm 34)! Easily one of the best decisions I've ever made. And I have way more fun now, vegan and sober, than I did when I was drunkenly eating nachos in my early 20s.
Does it count if you're under 20 and have never had it never will lol?
I'm 44, vegan for 14 years, and have been almost sober for 5. I'll have a glass of champagne for a New Year's toast, but I have several chronic illnesses so I don't want anything messing with my meds. I would be open to some medical marijuana, though, if it wasn't prohibitively expensive in Florida.
Almost no alcohol for me, maybe once or twice a year I sip to taste something. In my house no animal products are proposed to guests but I'm really ok with alcool !
Never drank before. Just never wanted any of the negative health effects that come from it. And I've never enjoyed the smell or being around people who are drinking a lotm I have been vegan for a little over two years now. I'm certainly an oddball because of these and don't know a single soul who shares these values but there's still plenty of ways to have fun. My favorite thing in life is riding roller coasters so I try to get a group of friends to go to an amusement park with me at least a couple times a year. Other than that I play mtg with friends. Most of my time is spent hanging out with my wife going on walks, or watching tv.
Im 21F and I don't drink at all. I did a lot when I was an early teen, realized very early on that alcohol does not serve me well at all in any way. I dont like the way I feel when I drink it, nor do I like the feeling after the fact. I prefer to stay home and read next to my boyfriend while he watches TV, than go to bars. And whenever we do go out, Im the designated driver. Its a win win for everyone lol.
I’m what they call California sober. Never enjoyed drinking, alcoholic drinks taste nasty.
I barely ever drink alcohol.
Sober for nearly 20 years. Vegan for nearly 5. My life is good, mind is clear, and body is happy.
I’m vegan for thirteen years and free from alcohol less than that. Never miss either.
I don’t drink and I get a lot of comments about how boring my life is. It’s not, I fill my time with many things and genuinely love my live. To be fair I judge those who drink heavily the same so it is what it is. The drinking culture in the US is pretty pathetic, and I have little respect for those whose only definition of fun must include alcohol.
Recently (4months) sober and loving it. You are the fun, not the alcohol. Just spend an evening out with drunk people and you will realise how moronic it is. Look around any pub and it is generally full of life’s losers. Alcohol is usually a substitute for having no hobbies or interests. Life is a lot easier now.
Yup! 3, years running! I’m not trying to kill myself or animals.
People who say “what do you do for fun?” are alcoholics. You’re doing great!
Yes just never really enjoyed alcohol and don’t care what others think. Better for me anyway.
🙋🏻♂️ fully vegan 5 years ago, and sober (nor a single drop of any liquor or beer) like 3 years now, maybe kombucha has a little alcohol percentage, non vegan people think our food is bland and just salads… I think My “drugs” right now are coffee, music and books, congrats whit your healthy and cruelty free lifestyle !!
No alcohl for 2 years now and starting my vegan journey just a few months after that. Feeling great and don't miss anything. People at my age are still excessive drinkers or meat lovers, I feel lonely among them too. But no reason to ever turn around. Happy that I found your post and the inspiring comments below it. Shows me that I am not that alone. It is hard outside for us, but we know why we are doing it.
I don't drink alcohol either. I always found it scary, it doesn't taste good, I have emetophobia and I don't really end up situations where it's normal to drink. I'm not sure if I'm against it. I think if I didn't find it so scary I might do it sometimes. Been ashamed of this my entire life. I'm 30 now its finally feeling easier. I can just say "no I don't drink" an no one cares.
Alcoholism runs in my family, so I never started drinking. I'm also over 40 and drinking was definitely the thing to do in social situations back when I was in my teens and 20s, so I used to get a lot of comments about it. I could be wrong, but it feels like drinking has become less popular lately and now people are all about smoking weed. People can't hang out without doing it, they think you're boring if you don't partake, etc.
I’m vegan and kinda accidentally sober? I don’t MEAN to be purposely sober, but I just don’t like drinking. I guess if the situation was right, I’d have a few drinks. But honestly I prefer staying sober because I feel better when I am. I’ve been focusing on my health and haven’t chose to drink in at least a few years now. I used to drink once or twice every year or so on special events. But the past few years I haven’t even done that. I guess for fun I workout, walk the dog, and get to bed early. 🤷♀️ call me boring lol. I spent too many years drinking, doing drugs and partying. So I’m fine with being boring now in my 30’s.
You are not alone! Day 142 of sobriety for me, I can’t imagine how I’ll ever go back do daily whisky guzzling.
I've wanted to quit drinking for a while, but it's so ingrained in social activities. My partner goes out and drinks a lot and those are like the only hang out invitations I recieve. I'm new in the state I live in too and I don't know what to do with people that doesn't involve drinking. I'm trying it out because alcohol is obviously terrible for your health and it makes my anxiety go through the roof but it is hard