Why is saying ‘No thanks’ so difficult when someone offers you a drink?

You’re socialising with friends. Someone asks what you want. You say: “Oh – I’m not drinking tonight.” And then comes the follow-up:

• Why not?
• Are you on antibiotics?
• Are you pregnant?
• Are you ill?
• Just have one. Come on, it’s Friday.

It’s a scene that plays out thousands of times every weekend in the UK. For a choice that should be straightforward – not having an alcoholic drink – we’ve made it weirdly taboo.

But people say “no thanks” to alcohol for all kinds of reasons.

• They’re trying to sleep better
• They’re dealing with anxiety or illness
• They’re thinking about fertility
• They’ve had a rough week and can’t face a hangover
• They’re training for something
• Or they’re just… not in the mood

And yet that simple choice often triggers awkwardness, suspicion – even ridicule. Why?

Alcohol has become a shortcut for belonging or fear of missing out

So many of us drink to connect, to relax, to mark the end of the day. And saying ‘no’ interrupts that flow. It disrupts the unspoken script: “We’re all doing this together”.

But when choosing not to drink becomes a social problem, we have to ask:

Why is drinking so protected? What are we not talking about?

That’s why – as part of Cancer Prevention Action Week 2025 – we want to get people talking.

‘No thanks’ shouldn’t need a justification

Imagine if we stopped asking people why they’re not drinking – and started asking how can we make not drinking more comfortable for everyone?

Or how can we support them in their choice?

You shouldn’t need to have a serious illness, or be training for a marathon, or whisper that you’re trying for a baby to opt out of alcohol.

And yet, we’ve made not drinking feel like a confession.

This isn’t about demonising alcohol. It’s about giving people the facts and allowing them the space to make different choices – for any reason, or for no reason at all.

Alcohol and cancer: the facts

Alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen – that means it can cause cancer – putting it in the same category as asbestos, tobacco and plutonium.

Alcohol is directly linked to 7 types of cancer, including:

• Breast
• Bowel
• Liver
• Mouth and throat
• Oesophagus
• Stomach

Even small amounts increase your risk. For example, just 1 drink a day raises your breast cancer risk by around 7–10%. For bowel cancer, the risk starts rising even at low levels of drinking.

But while this science has been clear for years, our polling revealed that 1 in 4 of us don’t associate any health risks with alcohol.

We’re not being given the information we need to make informed choices – and when people do make those choices, they often feel judged, questioned or excluded. That’s wrong.

How do we shift the culture?

1. We normalise ‘No’

We make not drinking visible, valid and unremarkable. The more people hear “No thanks” without a 5-minute explanation, the more normal it becomes.

2. We get curious, not confrontational

When someone doesn’t drink, it’s not a rejection of you – it’s a choice for them. We stop taking it personally. And offer support.

3. We name the stakes

This isn’t just about social awkwardness. It’s about informed choice and health. The cancer link is real, as are the 200 other health conditions associated with alcohol. People deserve to know – and not be made to feel odd when they act on it.

If you’re doing other things to live well – eating healthily, counting your steps, trying to sleep enough – why should people be made to feel awkward about not drinking alcohol?

Ready to change the conversation? Read to say “No thanks”?