19 and never drunk alcohol - don't know what to drink...

So... I'm 19 and I've never drunk alcohol. I mean, I've had champagne and a bit of wine (neither of which I really care for) and I had some Pimms at a friend's house but I've never drunk 'proper' alcohol as it were... In fact... I know this is going to sound really lame... I've never been to a party before. Well, I went to one and it wasn't really that great so that doesn't count.

I went through this stage of being a little bit stuck-up and point blank refused to go to parties and drink alcohol because I thought it was stupid. I've never been clubbing either. I went to prom but I didn't drink even though I was 18 at the time.

So, here's the thing. Whenever someone asks me if I want a drink I don't know what to have... I've never tasted anything alcoholic before. I don't know what anything is like. So I just end up telling people I don't drink to avoid embarrassing myself because, let's face it, it's a little bit sad. I went to a party at someone's house yesterday and everyone was drinking, even those under 18. I didn't drink of course. But I'm also rather reserved in any case so I didn't really do much dancing. A friend pulled me up a couple of times to dance and I did it but people know I'm not hugely confident around people, even my friends and the people at the party were people I've only been friends with for a little while.

My question is, what should I drink? I honestly feel like a little girl when I'm at a party - I'm so reserved and I get so nervous when it comes to drinking alcohol because I've never done it before... What would people suggest for a first drink? I didn't want to ask my friends because I was just too embarrassed.

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Reply 1

wwelol

wat a stupid question
y do u want to drink for ?

u should be revising or doing somm\t useful

Reply 2

Dagnabbit

People usually find it easier to start with something sweeter like alcopops (WKD, Vodka Kick, Smirnoff Ice) or cider (Magner's, Bulmer's, Kopparberg etc.). If you are really sure you want to drink alcohol, then I would start with those and see which you prefer before trying other stuff.

There's nothing embarrassing about it, I didn't have any alcohol before I was 19 (now I'm 21). I remember trying a beer for the first time at an Indian restaurant on my 19th, it was a pint of Cobra, and I absolutely loved it. After that, I tried cider but it wasn't to my taste so I stuck with lager and bitter.

Hope that helped. Feel free to ask more questions.

Reply 3

MHRed

Just try new things!
A lot of girls I know [when out] drink things like southern comfort and lemonade, jack daniels and coke, jagerbombs...pretty much anything. (not saying they're for girls, just saying that girls I know drink them).

You'll never know unless you try new things! :smile:

Reply 4

rainbow.panda

I'm 19 and I don't drink. I just can't be bothered with it, I'd be worried about drinking too much because I don't know what my limit is. If I'm worrying about it I won't be able to have a good time, so I just play it safe and stick to Pepsi or something. Just remember you don't have to drink if you don't want to :smile:

Reply 5

septemberboy

can't go wrong with Smirnoff ice. it tastes as weak as it is, and really sweet. like lemonade or something, except their vodka is actually quality stuff. love it. and just don't worry about it, relax and have fun! that's the whole point :smile:

Reply 6

Mr Smurf

Alcopops (Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Breezer etc).

Then move onto Vodka + Coke, 7up or whatever mixer you want.

Then move onto shots. :colone:

Reply 7

PierceBrosnan

A dry Martini, shaken not stirred.

Reply 8

jay.henri

Ask for a Woodpeckers. Its pretty light and sweet, has a low alcohol percentage. Think it's more of a man's drink though. Personally I prefer it to the disgusting bitter stuff like Carling etc..

Reply 9

blondie :)

Try alcopops like WKD, Bacardi Breezer or a cocktail such as a cheeky vimto, as they're quite sweet. :smile:

Plenty of girls drink them as well, I still do because they taste nice and I don't really like cider/lager etc.
Sourz are nice, as you don't really get that strong after taste you get when just drinking straight vodka, or even just vodka and lemonade is simple.
:smile:

Reply 10

Bun_18

Peach Schnapps/Archers and Lemonade...thats a good one!! xx

Reply 11

cl_steele

well seeing as youve missed outt on so many valuable drinking opportunities you ned to play catch up quickly from where im standing, so i recommend you hit the game running and start with a nice bottle of absolut! by about halfway down you wont be tasting the cheap crappyness of it anyway :rolleyes:

have a good eve :colone:

Reply 12

rose.3445

I'd have a vodka and coke- maybe start of with only 5-10 centimetres of vodka in the glass to get used to it and then increase that if you want- its strong but you can water it down with the coke. or cider is quite good to start off with. - also they're likely to have this stuff at the party

dont worry about not having done in the past, you'll get used to it and maybe only have 2 glasses to start of with so you're just tipsy

Reply 13

NB_ide

Original post by inadilemma

I was similar - actually I was 24 before I went to a house party kind of thing, and I didn't start drinking "socially" until I was 22 or 23. And even then, because I so rarely "socialised" (which is basically a synonym for drinking) I rarely touched alcohol - like a few times per year.

Most alcoholic drinks taste like complete **** at first, and that's exactly what they are. BUT you can acquire the taste and learn to enjoy them, and then they're genuinely quite nice. The associations you form with the taste and smell are important as well. I used to hate beer because 1) it tastes revolting and 2) it reminded me of skanky family gatherings in working men's clubs when I was a kid, and of the filthy UK pub culture.

But I reset that association and started trying some quality beers that were recommended to me and now it's pretty nice.

I decided to work on beer because it is the most appropriate for a man to drink and I could look good holding a bottle at parties. If you currently dislike all drinks then you might as well choose based on similar concerns. Girls can drink pussy stuff like vodka and coke, as above, and that just tastes like coke. Or vodka and a fruit juice is fine as well, you needn't taste the alcohol.

Drinking will change your personality considerably - everyone needs it to do very common and normal things. Go easy, though - one drink at a time. You won't need much to have a good time.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 14

Bezaberry

Morgan's Spiced is nice, it's quite sweet and doesn't have the awful aftertastes most spirits have.

Reply 15

Clare~Bear

If you like something like coke or lemonade you can mix it with a shot or two of vodka.

If you like fruit juices, you could have say; 3/4 of a glass full of juice (either just orange juice or orange and/or pineapple and/or mango etc) and then a couple of shots of rum OR 2 shots of martini + a shot of gin is nice (especially with orange).

Reply 16

Sovr'gnChancellor£

I'd drink orange juice.

Why'd you want to drink alcohol again? Is it because everybody else is doing it?

Reply 17

Dusty12

Just respond "Surprise me!" and see whether you like whatever drink they give you. :tongue:

...Unless you have horrible friends that'll use the opportunity to give you a horrible drink. :colonhash:

Smirnoff Ice is a very safe bet. Most places have it, it tastes just like lemonade, and it's not too alcoholic. I find it quite sickly though(like most alcopops), so maybe try cider or something if the idea of that doesn't appeal to you.
Or try various mixed drinks. I loooove Southern Comfort and Lemonade and it tastes less harsh than, say, vodka and coke. Archers and Lemonade was what I always used to drink when I first started drinking properly.

Don't stress out about it anyway. Only drink if you genuinely want to yourself and you're not just pressured into it. It's not lame not to drink. If I were you I'd just try whatever drinks everyone else seems to have and then you'll eventually find which ones you like. Stay away from shots and really alcoholic stuff at the start.
It's not such a bit deal anyway, don't worry 'bout it. :h:

Reply 18

ThaChronic

First time just go for normal vodka and coke. Since it's your first time I wouldn't drink tequila THAT **** WILL **** YOU UP.

Reply 19

Patriot Rich

I quite like Gin. Mix it with tonic 1:3, with an ice cube and a bit of lime. Absolutely beautiful.
Also wine. Mostly white. Either straight or half and half with lemonade in a spritzer.
I used to drink much more lager and cider but after so many bad experiences (aka chunder) with them, I can't even face the smell anymore.
My friends take the piss out of mu drinking habits but I don't mind as long as it tastes good.