William LearDec 20, 2022
Katrin Bretscher 💛💙

Seasonal reminder: Alcohol is a completely legal drug that destroys lives, relationships and families. Don't make it hard for people who are trying to stay sober to enjoy festivities and functions.

(The author of the image is https://www.madsahara.com/illustration/)

Illustration - Madsahara Art & Design

Illustration projects: personal commissions, editorial images, wedding invitations and many more whimsical art projects!

Madsahara Art & Design
Nov 13, 2022 at 9:52pmWeb
Show threadKatrin Bretscher 💛💙Nov 27, 2022

Since people are retooting this, I'd like to clarify that I'm not the original author. I saw the picture on the birdsite a few years ago, but wasn't able to find the original author. If you know them, let me know!

Edit: thanks to all who pointed me to the author, https://www.madsahara.com/illustration/ ! I edited the post to add her link.

Illustration - Madsahara Art & Design

Illustration projects: personal commissions, editorial images, wedding invitations and many more whimsical art projects!

Madsahara Art & Design
Show threadMarkus TackerNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher The original is from Sarah Adam (https://www.madsahara.com), published here: https://www.madsahara.com/illustration/
Madsahara Art - Fine Art, Illustration & Design

Sarah Adam is an artist in the woods. She is a painter, illustrator, and graphic designer.

Madsahara Art & Design
Show threadTony 📊Nov 27, 2022
@coderbyheart @katrinbretscher Thank you!
Show threadKatrin Bretscher 💛💙Nov 27, 2022
@coderbyheart thank you!
Show threadtinamhuntNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher I just came to ask. It's so important and should be shared. Thanks.
Show threadRussNov 13, 2022
@katrinbretscher It's always okay not to drink, for any reason or for no reason at all.
Show threadPaul - @defcon Nov 13, 2022
@katrinbretscher took me a long while to stop being the person that asked about alcohol like that. I understand now though.
Show threadSupertapaniNov 15, 2022
@katrinbretscher How about - I am not drinking, and I don't need to explain it to you 🤔
Show threadMarcel WaldvogelNov 27, 2022
@Supertapani @katrinbretscher Sometimes it is not the right time/condition/… to be rude. At other times, the much shorter "f* off" may be appropriate.
Show threadSupertapaniNov 27, 2022

@marcel @katrinbretscher I totally agree, and that is probably what I would say if I were living elsewhere.

But I am living in Finland. Finland is an honor culture, where violence is considered appropriate response to something you say -- Unlike the physical threshold we are used to thinking as a limit in some other cultures. Also, in Finland, 'I was drunk' is a perfectly good excuse for just about any behavior.

Show threadMyphatselfNov 27, 2022
@Supertapani @marcel @katrinbretscher good to know.
Show threadEff MNov 27, 2022
@Supertapani @katrinbretscher "No" is a complete sentence. No further information is needed.
Show threadSupertapaniNov 27, 2022
@awfulhorrid @katrinbretscher I am going to use this so much in my life you cannot imagine...
Show threadManonNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher Danke! 🙏
Show threadGobelin NounoursNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher really true. Every time I said I don't drink alcohol, I have the ask : are you seek ? Or Why ?
I don't have to explain, it's the opposite. Why do you drinking alcohol ? Why it's me you consider like a non social person ?
Show thread▀▀▀ ˈsaɪkəʊˌpæθNov 27, 2022

@katrinbretscher

i steal it 🙂

Show threadFrancesco Yoshi Gobbo Nov 27, 2022
* none of your business, unless you are the bartender,
@katrinbretscher 
Show threadDashtopNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher also tobacco (and now marijuana and what not in Netherland, Germany, USA etc)
Show threadStevenNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher caffeine is also a legal drug yet it is part of a large number of people's lives in forms such as coffee, tea, energy drinks, etc.
Show threadKatrin Bretscher 💛💙Nov 27, 2022
@stevenclyman caffeine doesn't destroy lives in the way alcohol does
Show threadStevenNov 28, 2022

@katrinbretscher I agree that their effects are not equivalent, but that does not take away from the harms it causes.

Alcohol related harms are mostly effect the people around, whereas caffeine related harms are mostly on the people consuming it.

Show threadTrivalvaDec 23, 2022
@stevenclyman @katrinbretscher it is not possible to compare alcohol with caffeine. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
Alcohol Facts and Statistics | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

According to the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 86.3 percent of people ages 18 or older reported that they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime; 70.1 percent reported that they drank in the past year; 55.9 percent reported that they drank in the past month.

Show threadHolger JakobsDec 24, 2022
@stevenclyman @katrinbretscher Caffeine has an effect, but I won't call it a drug. You may be accustomed to drinking coffee, but you won't get addicted.
And drinking a couple of coffees a day won't harm you. A couple of alcoholic beverages will in the long run.
Show threadCodeAsmNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher a friend of mine often asks what im doing (its how he is, and i allow him. We share autism oddities). I try carefully to not say im having a beer, as he have had trouble with it. But he knows. But because im making it a guessing game, he knows i care. Not sure if this is the right way. But im proud he stays sober for over 2 years now. And im lowering my intake anyway aswell. The alcohol comercials are crazy, weird how its a legal drug. (Similair for sugar in a way).
Show threadDouglas KingNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher
@codeasm
I don't drink for religious reasons. When I drink, I think I am God.
Show threadLily Nov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher Thank you for sharing this
Show threadvero_graeweNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher
Show threadAnthonyUplandpoetWatkinsNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher as an aging diabetic, i find alcohol isnt goods for me in any way. i used to make my own, i enjoyed the making and drinking of both wine and beer, but i dont miss it. i enjoy being sober and healthy!
Show threadjedster1111Nov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher I definitely wish there was more discussion around the dangers of alcohol and more people were actively conscious of how dangerous of a drug it is. Although I'm probably biased due to having family members that suffer from addiction.
Show threadEllcrys ☕Nov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher I can add 3 more I'm using myself:
- No, I don't drink when I've got a headache
- No, I don't drink when I've got 24/7 on-call support
- No, I would rather drink water than THAT beer
Show threadAlzamon (Alberto GM)Nov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher I've been through a whole week of being sober due to medication, and it's been... Not bad? In fact, yesterday I went to a local artists meeting at a bar place, most arguably younger than me, and all but one (not me) asked for soda. The trends are shifting definitely.
Show threadAngela Glansbury 🚽Nov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher
I'm more than half of these!
Show threadHispahNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher actually I think nobody should need to provide a reason or ‚justification‘ why he/she is not drinking alcohol. Unfortunately I detect myself also providing one 😖 I am working on it though, also on not asking why. Learning curve ahead 🍀
Show threadMenaceF1Nov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher 100%
I used to have a boss that simply would not take no for an answer on a night out. I’m older and wiser now but back then I used to hate nights out as if I wasn’t drinking I was made to feel like some kind of freak.
Show threadKatrin Bretscher 💛💙Nov 27, 2022
@MenaceF1 oh man, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you got out of that toxic wastebarrel of a job 😔
Show threadMenaceF1Nov 28, 2022
@katrinbretscher I did, thanks! Much happier now! 😁
Show threadAi 아이Dec 18, 2022

@MenaceF1 @katrinbretscher "I don't drink, I am allergic. Sure, I can have a taste... and have fun bringing me to the hospital afterwards!"

I am highly intolerant to alcohol, but over the years, I have found the threat of them needing to take responsibility is often a massive deterrent from any pressure to consume alcohol. (Glad to hear that you're in a better situation now, but wow a boss like that is so annoying.)

Show threadKlara ❤️Nov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher I've also gotten the "How can you know you don't want to be drunk if you haven't tried it?" Like, I've seen and interacted with enough drunk people that I'm probably never gonna find it appealing.
Show threadHactorisNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher I used to hate the taste of alcohol and I just started liking it like a year ago or so, but I don't and will probably never understand people that are like "you should drink", like... no?
Show threadSteven RNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher
"A drug in liquid form"
Show threadTanjaNov 27, 2022

@katrinbretscher Thank you for posting this. Also, don't give alcohol as a present.

And thank you for the very useful #ImageDescription for the #VisuallyImpaired #Tooters

Show threadDom_SathanasDec 20, 2022
@TanjaMcConnor @katrinbretscher yeah I’ve been gifted bottles of wine twice since being in recovery. Fortunately, they didn’t trigger a relapse and are now gathering dust in my pantry.
Show threadKatrin Bretscher 💛💙Dec 20, 2022

@DomSathanas @TanjaMcConnor Congratulations on staying strong!

I usually pour the wine down the drain and recycle the bottle. I have no use for it and obviously I won't re-gift it.

Show threadIrgendeineNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher Genauso ist es - warum ich nicht trinke, geht euch nichts an, und ich bin deswegen keineswegs ein "Partyverderber"
Gute Laune geht auch ohne Drogen - ehrlich! 🥳
Show threadRenéeNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher This is a great reminder. My fav was a friend's line: "no thanks, alcohol doesn't agree with me." They said later they were an alcoholic, but I love the vagueness of that statement - strong enough to make people not push, but could be interpreted any many ways. Nobody owes anyone else an explanation for their choice of what to put in their bodies!
Show threadJoseph LouthanNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher I want the drawing of “No, I don’t want to.”
Show threadToddNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher I always enjoy the panicked silence, followed by “you don’t drink AT ALL?” or a condescending response followed by an offer of whatever a two year old drinks.
I usually don’t take it personally, but it really shouldn’t be a moment of awkwardness if someone declines.
We do not owe you a reason. Period.
Show threadDinah 🕊🇺🇦Nov 27, 2022

One of the very best things you can do as a host is to have equally nice low- and no-alcohol drinks on offer. There are scores of exceptionally great options which allow your guests to fine-tune their consumption throughout their time with you.

You don't have to drink alcohol to enjoy a beautiful adult beverage.

You don't have to get legless to get lifted.

This multi-proof menu actually goes back to the earliest days of the cocktail (as I will detail in a separate thread).

Show threadDinah 🕊🇺🇦Nov 27, 2022

How do I know? I wrote 'The Art of the Shim: Low-Alcohol Cocktails to Keep You Level', which was nominated for a Spirit Award at Tales of the Cocktail.

Since it came out there have been more great books on low and no proof options, so start exploring! The cocktail renaissance of the past two decades is available at all strengths, including alcohol-free.

#Cocktails #LowAlcohol #NoAlcohol #DrinkingDiversity #History #Bibulous

Show threadKyuzoNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher but wha t a boring life living without a glass of good wine.
Show threadGrandma’s High Again 🙄Nov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher I very rarely drink alcohol. It makes me feel bad. But sometimes I miss having a cocktail. Discovered not-alcoholic booze from a company called Ritual. It’s fun and tastes like the real thing. They’re having a sale right now. (I don’t work for them. Just a new fan.) https://www.ritualzeroproof.com/pages/black-friday?uuid=59940608&utm_source=emotive&utm_medium=sms&utm_campaign=1127-bf-reminder-2
Black Friday

Our award winning non-alcoholic spirits deliver the taste of rum, gin, whiskey & tequila without the alcohol or calories. Replaces liquor 1:1 in any cocktail.

Ritual Zero Proof
Show threadAdamNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher A couple of days ago, a restaurant server, here in #Kendal, said "how weird" when I said I didn't drink. Not sure what's weird about it.
Show threadTheFatCyclistNov 27, 2022

@katrinbretscher I gave up at midnight 1999.......I lost a son to alcoholism 3rd of march 2020.....

I support this message wholeheartedly....

Show threadImpergatoxNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher One time I was asked so many times at a party that I just started saying "Sorry I can't, I want to donor blood tomorrow". I was going to donor blood the next day, but it wasn't forbidden to drink alcohol the day before. But most people don't know that, it sounds sensible and nobody wants to prevent a blood donation. Sucks that I had to say that so I don't have to constantly explain myself though.
Show threadW MillardNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher well said. I’m tired of explaining myself repeatedly.
Show threadDavid KrooshofNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher Alcohol is the only drug that people demand an explanation for if you don't take it.
Show threadJohn ShirleyNov 27, 2022
@katrinbretscher Going to AA home group in two hours. So I'm down with that.