# Being the only one drinking=drinking alone? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 17, 2013, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-the-only-one-drinking-drinking-alone/653169 "2013-03-17T14:39:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-the-only-one-drinking-drinking-alone/653169/1 "2013-03-17T14:39:11Z")
If someone is with friends, but that person is the only one drinking alcohol, does that count as drinking alone? (No, I don’t need an answer fast. 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-the-only-one-drinking-drinking-alone/653169/2 "2013-03-17T14:57:05Z")
I would say no. I think the implication in “drinking alone” is that alcohol serves to replace the companionship of other humans. Of course, you may or may not be an alcoholic, regardless of whether or not there are other people drinking in your vicinity. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-the-only-one-drinking-drinking-alone/653169/3 "2013-03-17T15:16:09Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > If someone is with friends, but that person is the only one drinking alcohol, does that count as drinking alone? > > (No, I don’t need an answer fast. 🙂 ) No, but it is hard to shake that feeling of “Stop judging me dammit!” Which is why it’s much more fun to actually drink alone. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-the-only-one-drinking-drinking-alone/653169/4 "2013-03-17T15:22:07Z")
Y’know, I never understood the “drinking alone” thing. I tend to drink way more while socializing than I do when alone, because I start talking to people, start having fun, and forget to keep track of what I’m drinking. Then someone buys me another cocktail or refills my wine glass, and if I don’t catch myself, I’m in trouble. Alone? I’ll have a beer or glass of wine, maybe two, then I’m typically done. Way easier to drink less in that context IMO. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-the-only-one-drinking-drinking-alone/653169/5 "2013-03-17T15:46:08Z")
Depends on the situation. Being the only one with a glass of wine at dinner? No biggie. Being the only one downing multiple mimosas at breakfast? A little iffy. Cracking open a six pack at at your kid’s back to school night? Yeah, bad sign. It’s a bad sign if you expect alcohol at every social gathering, and cannot imagine a social gathering without drinking, and consistently drinking when others are not may be a sign of this. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-the-only-one-drinking-drinking-alone/653169/6 "2013-03-17T15:57:39Z")
I’m gonna say no as well. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-the-only-one-drinking-drinking-alone/653169/7 "2013-03-17T15:58:23Z")
I don’t know, but just hand me a glass and then the question will be moot 🙂 (serious answer – if it holds you back from actually interacting with the rest of the group _or_ you end up snookered, yeah, it’s drinking alone. Otherwise no – it’s just you drinking while the others aren’t) ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-the-only-one-drinking-drinking-alone/653169/8 "2013-03-17T16:02:33Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Y’know, I never understood the “drinking alone” thing. I tend to drink way more while socializing than I do when alone, because I start talking to people, start having fun, and forget to keep track of what I’m drinking. Then someone buys me another cocktail or refills my wine glass, and if I don’t catch myself, I’m in trouble. > > Alone? I’ll have a beer or glass of wine, maybe two, then I’m typically done. Way easier to drink less in that context IMO. I think the issue is the persistence of it, not the quantity: it’s the difference between people that like to “hang out and have a few beers” and people who “have a few beers and hang out”. When you get to the point that drinking is your non-negotiable, where you go to social events if and because they are a place to drink, and you stay home and drink alone if your only options are social events where you can’t drink, then that’s a problem. That said, when I drink it’s almost inevitably alone just because I am the driver in my household. However, it’s not all that often, so I don’t worry about it. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-the-only-one-drinking-drinking-alone/653169/9 "2013-03-17T16:03:33Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > No, but it is hard to shake that feeling of “Stop judging me dammit!” > > Which is why it’s much more fun to actually drink alone. Well, I guess we know what _your_ username means now. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-the-only-one-drinking-drinking-alone/653169/10 "2013-03-17T22:23:07Z")
When I drink alone, I prefer to be by myself.