Or just “I don’t do drugs”, or “I don’t do recreational drugs”?
Or “I don’t smoke weed” and “I don’t drink alcohol” when they come up, separately?
I wouldn’t generally say it at all unless I’m in a situation where I’m offered recreational drugs such as cannabis or alcohol.
My understanding is the term ‘straight edge’ might be more well known than ‘teetotal’, but neither are completely known by everyone.
I take straight edge to mean not doing any recreational drugs. However I read that straight edge can have punk culture connotations that some people might maintain are part of it. Like I might meet a punk straight edger who claims I’m not really straight edge unless I have connections to the punk scene. They also apparently often claim you need to be vegan to be straight edge, I am vegan though coincidentally but not for reasons relating to straight edge culture.
Teetotal I believe most often means abstinence from simply alcohol, but can be used to mean abstaining from all recreational drugs (I think). It may be more well known as just not drinking alcohol. For example teetotallers often still smoke weed.
Apologies if I misrepresented any of these terms.
I don’t smoke and barely drink. I don’t even like caffeine. I don’t need labels about it. It doesn’t make me a teetotaler or straight edge. I like cookies and ice cream more than any of that stuff!
I actually think it can be harder to communicate moderation. I have a friend who’s a recovering alcoholic and when he says “I don’t drink” he rarely gets any pushback.
Whereas I do drink sometimes, and even get drunk very occassionally, but can go weeks without it. Some people have trouble with the idea that I drank one time they saw me but are choosing not to the next time. It’s a bit like the way some straight or gay people can’t wrap their heads around the concept of bisexuality… “which one are you? Straight or gay? Teetotal or drinker?” 😂
I had good luck with just “not tonight” as someone who drinks extremely infrequently