Now, now...not everyone that goes out drinking gets themeselves DRUNK and stupid. Yes, there is no reason you can't have fun without drinking, but there are plenty of responsible people who may have a few drinks without getting themselves completely blitzed! Drinking sure makes karaoke a lot more fun and tolerable for the listeners! ROFL!

Flavored sparkling water makes a great mixer; also gin and diet tonic with a squeeze of lime. You can get some drinks made with Splenda instead of simple syrup as well. But what everyone else has said: diet mixer or low cal mixer. I would allow myself one sweet cocktail and budget it into my cals for the day so I don't feel too deprived. That's what I'm planning for my birthday :).

I'm also worried because I'm going to France in a week and they drink wine all the time, plus my classmates will want to go bar-hopping a lot. They have a lower obesityrate, so they must be doing something right.

Have fun!

Um, you're kinda making her point for her ;) Why do we choose entertainment that requires alcohol to make it ... entertaining ?

I don't know how true it is, but what I have always read is it's because they have a glass of wine with their meal, not a jumbo glass, not outside of their meal, not barhopping. But I'm always suspicious of stereotypes of how "The XYZ" eat or live.

Well, the program leaders were telling us that drinking wine with dinner is a daily occurence(they have been doing this program for 15 years, so I'm pretty sure they know their stuff). I didn't mean they chug wine all day long, I meant they do it daily or sometimes twice daily, which to me is "all the time" I guess, not being a huge drinker. And barhopping does happen in France, mostly among the younger crowd. Take a group of(mostly) under-21 students and it's natural some are going to try the bar scene. As for needing drinking to have fun, I don't think that's the question here. The question is for better drinking options for what the OP described as a special occurence :D. Some people have fun with alcohol, some without. A lot(like me) do with both. Everybody is different!

OT: Worst drinking advice I have EVER heard was when someone told me if I drank until I threw up, the cals wouldn't matter! And they were serious! :o. Then again, this person also told me to skip dinner before drinking and I would save cals and get drunk faster. Needless to say, I don't ask this person for ANY advice.

My friends and I are not big drinkers so I don't have much to relate in that arena. However, we are big on putting food into any get together. I have found it hard to "hang out" with someone where food is not brought into the mix. Often times it is potluck meal or potluck snack, but it is also frequently eating out. So yes, I can relate to the guilty feeling or the feeling of being left out. It is tough. I have found that it is ok to work a more "relaxed" day into the routine. My goal on these "relaxed" days is to try to break even calorically, continue to eat frequently (rather than saving all my calories for one meal), and to stop when full.

LOL, if it weren't so sad. I guess it never occurred to him/her that if you're drunk ... you've already absorbed the alcohol. Duh.

Thanks for the responses everyone..... I'd say I'm probably going to go with the diet and rum, which is what I was doing before when my diet wasn't so strict. Glad to hear that other people recommend that. Vodka, I SO cannot do because it REALLY makes my head hurt the next day....

As for everything else.... I agree about the having fun without alcohol stuff for the most part. That's a hard lesson I learned, and barely in time I'd say, being the child of a very very bad alcoholic, and grandchild, etc. Years ago, I COULDN'T have fun without alcohol, and I learned many a hard lesson because of it. However, I am in control of myself now (we went to a bar for about an hour last night after I picked one of my friends up from the airport and I watched them drink beer and talk about sports while I drank a diet coke.... TELL ME I don't have willpower! haha!) and know when to drink and when not. I've discovered that having fun can be and usually is better off without alcohol, but seeing as its this group and our main goal is to relive some of the old glory days..... well.... that involves alcohol! And I have nothing against that!

I don't want to be one of those people that just go into denial of everything outside of their strict diet, because like someone said above.... I don't think that's long term feasible and is also a good way to set yourself up for long term failure.

However, like some of you guys also said..... my tolerance is going to be waaaaaaaaaay low for sure, so I won't need much most likely! And I'm going to make sure to eat right before, and I'm going to take some healthy snacks along with as well since I get hungry fast on my diet (I do the several small meals a day thing).....

Thanks for the input everyone! :) Cheers! :cheers:

I agree with everyone else in that I haven't really drank much since I turned 21... I just got bored with it.

Club soda with lime is a good drink to drink if you are at a bar, hanging with friends and what not because it is mixed drink like but not alcoholic. It is also 0 calories.

Good time with friends means hanging out with them, not drinking.

Personally, I can't stand being around people drinking if I'm sober. To me, it's the absolutely most annoying thing in the world because growing up I had to take care of my fall down drunk mother. We're talking half a gallon of vodka a day, three or four days a week sometimes, fall down drunk. Being around drunk people irritates me and I think brings back bad emotions. I get irritated and upset even sometimes. So unless I'm enjoying and drinking myself.... I just can't do it. :( I know that a lot of people who quit drinking are okay with this...... but I'm just not. *sigh* I'm way more okay with going out every now and then, indulging, and enjoying. I just kinda wanted to know the best way to indulge when I DO indulge. :)

Well honestly, if it was my birthday, I'd suggest to do something I wanted rather than what your friends want (to drink that is). Again it is up to you on what you want but it sounds like you are trying to make your friends happy on your own birthday rather than make yourself happy.

starfish, I take a shot of tequila and mix in part of a crystal Light packet...not bad at all for under 100 calories...

where I live shots run about ten bucks a piece..okay, the whole board knows I am cheap--so--I sometimes carry my own flask...yep, that's right..it's pink leather with rhinestone hearts and saves me a TON!

hehehe

This is an interesting article about it...not sure what to think, although it does cite its sources well.

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/Alc...andweight.html

I was KIDDING...
Alcohol is not required for karaoke it is just a bonus.

Starfish...you have your head on right, you will be fine. Eat a good protein rich dinner before you go out and use your head with what you drink. You are already doing the research, so as long as you stick to what you know and don't go overboard; you will be fine. You are an adult and there is nothing wrong with having a drink or two OR whatever now and again, if you want to. Denying yourself the right to go out with some friends and have a few drinks forever is never going to work if you enjoy doing it. It would be different if you didn't want to have a few drinks, but if you DO, don't feel guilty, just be smart. You are going to be fine. :)