The Atlantic on alcohol consumption

Why do you have to explain it? Because they say, "why aren't you having a drink?"

 

You are weird if you don't drink, especially if everyone else is drinking. Trust me. And usually a "I don't drink" doesn't completely cut it. More people than necessary start digging. It's uncomfortable either way, ignoring it or getting into it.

 

That is frigging bizarre for strangers to keep digging. Completely rude.

My wife and I do a lot with three other couples that at first I didn't know all that well. One of the guys doesn't drink at all (nobody is getting hammered at these get togethers). He talked on occasion about his younger partying days, so it was pretty clear what happened.
One of the other dudes, who should have known better, says, "what's the matter, you don't like beer?" I did an internal groan. The non drinker just says, "I like it too much" and that was that. But come on, it wasn't hard to figure out.

 

That is part of the problem. "I don't drink" sounds to some people like "I'm an alcoholic or I'm afraid of becoming one."

For me, that isn't it at all. I don't like it too much. I don't like it at all. I can probably count the number of times I've had enough to even get a buzz over the last 20 years on my fingers. I haven't been drunk since my 21st birthday. I simply don't enjoy alcohol. I'm old enough now that I don't give enough of a damn to drink socially given that I don't like it.

On a certain level, I genuinely do not understand alcoholism. My understanding first actually came from the way the Leo McGarry character explained it on The West Wing. "I don't want one drink. I want 10." I was aware that came from experience. Aaron Sorkin has had battles with substance abuse and the actor who played McGarry, John Spencer, was a recovering alcoholic.

That said, I don't know if any of that is accurate, or just the experience of those two men.

 

All that said, I have never ever ever had a problem turning down pot. It didn't sound like a good idea at 15 to me, at 21, or now. It stinks.

 

The thing is, I do like beer. /Kavanaugh

I like the flavor of a well-crafted brew. I like the artistry that goes into an excellent cocktail. My dad was an alcoholic -- the type who would hide a bottle of vodka under the couch and sneak nips when he didn't think my mom and I were looking. He'd drink a sixer of Schaefer every night on top of it and get up at 7 for work the next morning like nothing had happened. So I'm very cognizant of not becoming that person. I do go overboard on occasion on the weekends, but I never feel like I NEED to drink. Went to the Caps game the other night and had no desire for a beer, thanks to the drive home and work the next day. I enjoy being mostly a teetotaler on the weekdays, because as Az pointed out, the lost productivity is a real thing and it's really fucking unprofessional to be in your 40s showing up to work visibly hungover.

 

Well, that is BS.

In my bartending days (which coincided with my hard-drinking days), we always gave free cokes and coffee to non-drinkers. We even had a button the register labeled DD for when we served one, so the owner could keep track.

 

When your bad takes are just bait for more bad takes. The Elizabeth Breunig Experience.

 

Happens more than you'd think. Drives me crazy. I don't get it either other than the people who plan an event assume everyone is drinking (a la this whole thread) or because most people do drink it's cheaper in some way. I have no idea.

 

That said, I have been to a good deal of bars and like places where soft drinks have been free. That just adds to my confusion when you go to some wedding and can't get a Coke without paying for it but can get beer.

 

It really doesn't make sense except for the idea you had that the people planning the event assume everybody is drinking. Of course, that is an idiotic way to plan. Did they forget that somebody has to do the driving when the event is over?

Bar owners tend to be smarter about such things because they have to deal with the issue of people needing a way to get home from their establishment every night. The people making decisions on a private party don't have to deal with that consideration as often, so they may not even think of it.

 

*Guy who switched from covering sports in 2016 to the business of the beer industry sits in the back and listens*