Who knew you could still experience peer presure at 29?

On Saturday it was a friends kitchen tea and bachelorette day. We planned to have champagne for the kitchen tea and then later we went out for dinner with her, which also involved cocktails.


During the kitchen tea, one of the bridesmaids made a comment about getting non alcoholic and how no one drank it. I said to her that there were one people drinking it and I was one of them. She then asked why I wasn't drinking and I told her I don't like driving after a drink. She then went on about it's only one drink and I was like, no, not for me. I get affected by it straight away. She then said there's still tonight. I then said, I also won't be drinking then. Which then led to more comments about taking it easy on the water later. I just rolled my eyes and walked away.


Much later in the evening when we got to the restaurant for dinner, more chips were made about me not drinking which was ok to a point but the thing that really bugged me was how the waiter jumped on the band wagon when I ordered a virgin mojito. He went on about having a drink because it's the 'bride to be's' last night of fun etc and I was like, "that's her not me". When he bought the drink he said, "this it for the virgin" The table went a bit quite, I took my drink and said, "I'm married there would be something wrong if that was true". He looked at me and said, "that never came out right."


As he walked off, I was like who do you think you are trying to pressurise people into drinking. He doesn't know the my story or why I was choosing not to drink. I then though about how many other people go out with the intention not to drink but then because they don't want to be lame, or the odd one out they end up having a drink and then 'boom" they're in an accident.


This whole experience made me feel a little like the odd one out amongst the bridesmaids, but also took me back to my young adult days when I would give into peer pressure and have a drink because I never wanted to look lame. It's so silly to think about it now, but all those feelings came rushing back to me and I felt a bit like a loser for a brief second. I then shook my head and thought, I'm a powerful person and I'm taking responsibility for myself and I choose not to drink.


I really never thought I would still experience peer pressure at the age of 29... I thought we were past it.

xKx