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The Ready Reply: A Masterclass in Drink Refusal Skills
Saying no to a drink rarely goes wrong because you didn't mean it - it goes wrong because nothing was ready to say. This session covers the shapes social pressure takes, six refusal personas to choose from, and the three steps - Reply, Repeat, Remove: a simple way to handle a first offer, a second ask, and pressure that keeps going.
"It's my round - what are you having?" Four people are waiting. You decided weeks ago that you weren't drinking tonight, and you meant it. But nothing is ready, the pause gets loud, and out comes "go on then, just the one." The decision was never the hard part. The ten seconds after the offer were.
In this masterclass, Dr David McLaughlan, Psychiatrist and Clinical Director at Clean Slate Clinic UK, and Dr Aaron Brown, GP and Managing Director at Clean Slate Clinic UK, treat saying no as what it actually is: a social skill you can prepare and practise, not a test of willpower or character. Because pressure rarely arrives looking like pressure - it turns up as generosity, humour, a birthday, a round, someone who just doesn't want to drink alone.
Together they'll unpack why refusing can feel so much bigger than the drink itself - belonging, people-pleasing, the fear of being the boring one - and then give you the words. Six refusal personas to choose from, so you can find one that genuinely sounds like you. Three steps - Reply, Repeat, Remove - for the person who asks twice. And live practice, so you leave having actually said it out loud, with a one-page Ready Reply toolkit to keep.
No explanations required, here or anywhere else. "No thanks" is a complete answer - this hour is about making it easy to find.
Watch the recording to learn:
✅ Recognise the shapes social pressure takes - the offer, the round, the top-up, the tease, the guilt trip - and why they land even when your decision is settled.
✅ Choose from six refusal personas and write two short replies that genuinely sound like you - including one that gives no explanation at all.
✅ Apply the three steps - Reply, Repeat, Remove - to a first offer, a second ask and pressure that keeps going, then leave with a plan for one real event in your diary.
Resources:
The Ready Reply Toolkit
Use this toolkit to prepare the words you'll need before a drink is offered, from six refusal personas to the three steps - Reply, Repeat, Remove. Refusing a drink isn't a test of willpower, it's a skill you can prepare in advance. There's space to write your own replies, a back-up line in a different persona, and a plan for one real event in your diary.
Speakers:
Dr Aaron Brown | Clean Slate Clinic
Dr Aaron Brown is an experienced GP of over 10 years. He’s passionate about delivering excellence in clinical care with an unyielding attention on finding the true person behind the symptoms. His previous roles as a GP Partner, Clinical Leader, and active contributor to local support groups allow him to combine experience and innovation to deliver the best possible care for people.
Dr David McLaughlan | Clean Slate Clinic
Dr David McLaughlan is one of the UK's leading addiction psychiatrists and Academic Secretary of The Royal College of Psychiatrists' Addiction Faculty. He has contributed to research and treatment guidelines, and recently climbed Kilimanjaro for charity.
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