tldr; if you have a good excuse for not drinking - it helps a ton with peer pressure... I've quit twice. Once when I was 21 for 4 years; Once when I was 27 go

tldr; if you have a good excuse for not drinking - it helps a ton with peer pressure... I've quit twice. Once when I was 21 for 4 years; Once when I was 27 going on 12 years. Both times started for health reasons (UC) and stuck because of superstitious/religious reasons that I have largely grown out of. I stay dry now because of vanity reasons and I'm a homebody - I lift,run, and eat really clean and look better than I ever did in my 20s or early 30s. Also inertia helps a ton. WRT peer pressure I would tell randos at bars I was allergic and might need an epi pen if I drank and could bullshit a conversation which was kind of fun...I don't advise being dishonest but I was young and it was entertaining when I would go to bars to socialize (a lot more fun saying this than I have UC and I am a little scared this might knock me out of remission). With friends and family, it'll just take a lot of polite "no...I'm good thanks" before they'll stop pestering you. Just know in advance its coming. For what its worth the same thing is true with eating healthy. I've been eating healthy for 6 years and because of my GI issues tried some diet to help with symptoms. Before everyone and their mother is shovelling burgers and sweets and cheesy things in front of me, "why don't you eat it? Its good". After I dabbled with that diet no one looks twice at me for eating "weird".