Cooler Now: Not Drinking

Ok, maybe it's not cool now either, but it's at least more acceptable... provided you have a good reason.

In high school, it seemed there were no acceptable reasons to not be drinking. Sure, people were happy to have a designated driver, but they still judged you.

Now it's sometimes ok. But people still want to know why you're not drinking. The following are reasons I've heard and seen be acceptable. Not all will work all of the time, but when used in moderation with a good back story, you should be ok. (Note: be careful about using them together. For example, numbers 4 and 5 don't mix.)

• I'm pregnant
• I need to detox from [insert ridiculous-amount-of-drinking-in-the-last-few-days story]
  
• I'm driving
• I'm Mormon
• It's Passover/Yom Kippur
  
• I'm taking the bar/CPA/GMAT/LSAT soon
• I'm allergic (really make sure to do your homework on this one)