What was once the go-to Friday night plans for many – myself included – has been put on the back burner thanks to a recent heightened interest in all things wholesome and healthy.

Now I wouldn’t say I was ever a binge drinker, every Friday night a group of friends and I would go out for dinner and then drink drink drink until stumbling 20 minutes home at about 2am. Sometimes 3. A few times, 6..

Drinking on a night out used to be the norm, and taking a non-drinker with you was seen as a bit of a faff because its harder to ensure everyone’s having a good time if five of you are smashed, and someone else is driving. And the non-drinker didn’t like having to look after their drunken companions and make sure they didn’t get into too many bars, fights or beds over the course of the evening.

But that has now been flipped on it’s head. Is not drinking the new drinking? I know tons of people who have cancelled social engagements because the hassle of hiding (or explaining) that you’re staying sober outweighs the promise of the night. But the truth is, if you go to a crowded bar with your friends, noone is looking at what you’re drinking. It’s probably the last thing on their minds.

For a while on nights out I would make a bee-line for the nicest looking bar tender early doors, and sneakily let him know that I’m a non-drinker now. This meant that there was no piss taking as I ordered rounds of ‘3 gin & tonics, 2 beers and a sparkling water, please..’ and meant that when it wasn’t my turn to head to the bar, he would know to convert a G&T to a water for me on the sly. This scheme works particularly well, I’ve found, and I’m still friends with the majority of my sneaky accomplices.

Faking drinking and not drinking are very different kettles of fish though. I used to order sparkling water with a dash of lime at bars because it looks like a vodka-lime-and-soda, and meant noone would give me grief. Now I drink it because I actually like it, and prefer to be able to remember my nights out and not spend my entire weekend in bed, wishing I was dead.

And that’s not to say you can’t have a good night out without alcohol. In fact, some of the most enjoyable – and late! – evenings I’ve had recently haven’t involved a single drop. And more often than not, whilst worrying about being the only sober one in your party, you’ll completely miss the fact that others in the group aren’t drinking either, and they’re employing the same faking tactics as you. A bit of honesty would make the whole think more enjoyable for everyone, as noone likes having to act when they’d rather be dancing.

Not drinking also has it’s benefits in that I get to be one of those horrendous people in the gym at 8am on a weekend morning, when everyone else is probably still on their way home. The early bird catches..well, every bit of equipment before the rest of the bros. Amen.