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Q: Still confused with dinners
I dont drink Alcohol/beer/wine etc...
But i have to attend many dinners...
I am fed up telling everyone .. i dont drink...
its hard for them to believe that i dont drink at all..
some start guess.. maybe i am not happy with something.. so showing that by not drinking..
a good excuse is to say.. i need drive.. works well.. but not always .. as some cases they offer to send me home.. or already a hotel is arranged... 
(
Has someone tried some better excuse with good success rate?.. means they believe and happily accepts.. ?
I had a friend in guilin who did not drink at all. What he would say was "Bu hao yise, wo guoming" (I am so sorry but I am alergic).
After that, people left him alone boozewise.
Thakkudu:
have some more background on typical alcohol allergy?.. sure questions will follow on what happens ... how did u know etc..
GuilinRaf:
Actually, he was not allergic. He did not drink because of religious reasons, but he did not want to say so. Therefore, he would say that he was allergic.
chenhan:
I am really allergic.After drink,there will be red dots emerging from all over my body and it is quite itchy.So,each time someone asks me to drink i will tell them this,and then i will drink Coca Cola or orange juice instead.In addition,i usually pour wine for them as apology.
stan118:
an apology for what, im sorry to say that just sounds silly and if people make you feel like you need to apologies for having a medical condition tell them to f**k off
i dont understand why its rude to refuse a drink or sometimes when i refuse to eat something cos for starters i dont want to eat chicken feet or lungs.
some of the locals where i live usually invite me for drinks, i dont often go but when i last went i had a 30 min long argument with them because i refused to go with them to a brothel (massage place) and i can see they wasnt happy but who gives a crap no way im going to a place like that, they should al be ashamed of themselves all 3 that asked me are married and have kids
Just tell them you're Mormon and that you're surprised that they don't know that Mormons are forbidden to drink alcohol...
Problem solved.
In all seriousness, I think basing it on religious grounds is the only thing they will understand. It's worked for me so far...
Alcohol itself can't cause an allergic reaction, so I'd be afraid somebody might call you out on it, especially if you're with a bunch of educated 'folk...
Thakkudu:
Good one... didnt know what it is.. just searched wiki and found out.. will try to make something up similar... once said should remain that way always.. :)
GuilinRaf:
Glad it worked for you. It did not work for my friend, however. What would happen was that then people (Westerners) would get on his case and attack his beliefs. Allergy worked better for him.
I want to add, I never heard him evangelize nor did he ever try to convert anyone.
I usually say I don't like the taste(which is true), and that works most of the time.
Thakkudu:
well then they start talking like to a kid.. initially bitter.. but once get into blood is great.. should try once.. believe me e. u have to grow up... etc etc
If it's a dinner with some folks you'll only meet one time, you can just say you're sick or not feeling well. This works for me. Otherwise I need to resort to the driving excuse, which as you know they have ways to get around.
If you were a girl, you could say it was your "special time", I guess something to do with TCM. I know some girls who are always on their period when the alcohol gets served 
From my experience, if you are saying "no" to alcohol no matter what they think or how they feel, it is better to stick with "NO! NO! NO!" Once they get used to it, it will be smooth.
Once if you say "yes' then it will be very hard to say "No" next time. It is like dragging oneself towards hell with this Chinese way of drinking...sometimes really hate it...But I already opened the door myself so now in a difficult situation to close it.
Same goes with cigarettes but as I clearly said no to it from the very first day, I have no problem with that........
(this is solely based on my personal experience which can differ with others) (somehow other two foreigners who happen to be from France and Sweden face similar situation like me. )
say i had too much to drink yesterday or say the wife did not allow me to drink today or say i am in my period "That's an excuse a lady might have" or say tomorrow i have to work..........many choices my friend.....just feel the atmosphere
Just as Martian does,say you will be house-trained if your wife finds out .
