I’ve come to a realisation. Or rather I’ve made up my mind to stop drinking from today onwards. Well, that doesn’t sound right. It makes me sound like an alcoholic. I’m quite the opposite actually. I have NEVER enjoyed drinking in my life. There, I’ve said it.

Even back in my party till dawn days, I’ve never liked alcoholic drinks. I don’t like the way they taste, and I don’t like feeling drunk. I get tipsy after 2 sips, by the way.

But somehow I felt ashamed to admit the fact that I simply do not enjoy drinking. I usually take forever to decided what to drink when I’m handed the menu. There is nothing on there I’d rather drink than plain water. But it is uncool to drink plain water on a night out, right?

My excuses are ‘I’m not well’, ‘early work the next day’, ‘had too much’ although I barely had a drop and lately, it was pregnancy and breastfeeding. When I’m tired of declining, I’d just hold on to the same glass for an entire night.

To those who have ‘drank’ with me during my year as operation manager at Velvet, I’m sorry. That glass of drink I was toasting with, was just green tea. And those champagne that you poured for me were often left to sit on the table.

I think the turning point came when I was at a friend’s birthday party last weekend. The time came when the party kicked up a notch and everyone started downing shots. I realised I can’t hide behind my glass of Sprite anymore. I will never be part of the ‘gang’. I’ve finally come to term that I need to come out from my ‘non-drinker’ closet and that’s ok.

Friends can stop offering me drinks and I can stop making excuses. It makes everyone’s life easier. And my friends will still love me, I hope.

To non-drinkers out there, cheers.

PS: The 5 things I’m doing differently this year.