Unsociably Healthy? Anorexia to Arm Curl.

In my desperate bid for better biceps and a toned physique, I opted to take a little break from drinking alcohol.

I appreciate many people do not drink anything, ever, and in fact, some of my best, most fun loving friends, do not drink anything at all for religious reasons. It does not seem to harm their social life at all!

Yet upon arriving at a recent social event, my partner had not made it to the bar before being asked ‘how far along I was’ and for someone to grab my stomach (they nearly felt the (in)ability of my biceps on doing this.)

It seemed, I clearly had to be pregnant in order to abstain from drinking or even just having a round of sparking water. I like the occasional drink, sometimes I opt for a fair few on a big event. but I am certainly not a ‘lush’ as my mum would refer to it as.

This really bothered me. I was called ‘boring’ – although i was a little boring for other reasons on this evening, but generally I was really mocked and ‘outcast’ for not taking a drink.

Is it that, especially in Dubai, we almost HAVE to drink to be part of the crowd? Do we have to drink to be considered fun, normal or even respected? It has become the social norm to drink such outrageous quantities that it really is concerning that anyone choosing to take the odd night off from the ‘sauce’ stands out like an incredible sore thumb. I started to feel embarrassed every time I asked for another round of carbonated H20.

So to conclude,
1) I whole heartedly respect my friends who have maintained a good social life despite not touching a drop of alcohol.
2) I worry that alcohol drinking, largely within certain groups in the UAE, equates to some level of acceptance and we need to consider changing this? I doubt I will ever be someone who is tea total – potentially even far from this, but I do not think we should isolate those who choose not to drink.
3) If I am giving up a swift beverage on a Thursday evening, I must be trying really really hard to reach my fitness goals!

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