How important is Alcohol?

[Hisgirl]

I've never heard someone give an acceptance speech and say "I owe it all to alcohol!" but I've seen felt the sting and the pain of what a DUI can do as it took away one of my most favorite loved ones.

It has zero importance in my life. I'd much rather drink an iced tea with a splash of lemonade.

 

[GiaR]

There's not a single Xmas party that I'll go to this month that won't have drinking involved & a sober one would be boring & I'd be finding a reason to exit. Cheers!!

 

[Genie+]

Pretty darn important. Should be listed up there with Life & Liberty.

I will never forget Italy during the pandemic - Wine is food and you have a god given right to buy it, or some such

 

[BrianL]

Alcohol is very important to me...as a way to clean electronics. I have no desire for imbibing any form of it. It has never been a part of my life personally.

 

[CynBeth]

It is important as having an alcoholic parent messed up my child/adulthood. Or maybe the word is significant. I do not mind being around people who drink. I do mind being around people who are tipsy or drunk.

But in my life it's not important as due to reason above, I do not drink and I never had friends or colleagues who pressured me into drinking. I know there are people who do not drink alcohol who are constantly bothered by others to have a drink ("One drink, it's fine, just join in. It's a fun evening"), but that's luckily not my experience.

I also do not drink alcohol and have never had anyone anyone make a comment,

 

[snowwite]

This question (and it's not really a question) has been rattling around in my brain for a while... how important is alcohol to you?

When I'm out at a restaurant (especially a "sports bar" or the like), I almost feel like I SHOULD get a beer or a cocktail. Of course, no one else is making me, and I decline myself MUCH more often than I partake.

And then we go on cruises or to AIs and see how much people are drinking (for cruises "oh, I MORE than get my money's worth out of the drink plan").

Is it because of media/advertising that I feel this way? That I'm sort of "obligated" to have alcohol?

No, I'm not an alcoholic. When I do imbibe, it's generally one cocktail or beer at dinner, and that maybe 20% of the times when I'm at a restaurant.

We used to feel like we were not getting our money‘s worth on a cruise or at an all inclusive resort if we didn’t drink and eat as much as possible.
I stopped drinking because it made me feel ill with one of my medications. My husband stopped just because it stopped being something he enjoyed much. He will occasionally get a drink but it’s rare. My dad was a recovering alcoholic with 39 years sobriety when he died and I always worried about that risk. Now I am just as happy with an iced tea, sparkling water, iced coffee or mock tail. I’d say it’s of no importance at all.

 

[snowwite]

I have always said those that enjoy cruising drank too much to remember they didn't.

 

[leebee]

We drink, sometimes more, sometimes less. We live in a small college town with 3 microbreweries within walking distance of our house, so we'll walk into town after work once or twice a week, give or take. We are "townies" and know a lot of the other townies, and are happy hanging out, talking about sports, playing cribbage or darts, etc.

I enjoy a cocktail now and then, too. The bartender at the Thai restaurant in town is an outstanding cocktail master, so it's fun to sit at the bar, watch him work, and enjoy a concoction or two. He also has an incredible wine list and vast knowledge of wine, and never lets an open bottle get old. Some evenings after closing, we'll sit with him and do a wine tasting from what is open, before it's discarded. Enjoyable and enlightening.

We also drink wine at home in the evenings- well, DH does, I don't so much. My guess is, with our forays into town and our wine at home, DH has a drink every night. No worries on my part- he's happy and responsible and if he has a lot of work to do or just doesn't have a drink, that's OK too. Alcohol isn't important but it's certainly a part of our lives.

 

[disykat]

I don't really like it. The only alcohol I've ever actually liked is having Kahlua and/or Baileys in a hot coffee drink and now I can't even drink coffee! Every once in a while I get a little bottle of Baileys to put in some hot chocolate. Otherwise, I just don't want it, not opposed to it, just don't particularly like the taste and would rather eat my calories and save the money. In general, water is my drink of choice. I'm not particularly interested in soda, juice, flavored waters, etc.

I've never had really trouble with people caring whether I drink alcohol or not other than simply their disbelief that I don't care for it, but I have had people try to insist I simply have to have something other than water. I PREFER water!

 

[BrianL]

I also do not drink alcohol and have never had anyone anyone make a comment,

I have definitely had comments before, including from some rude waiters. "In town for the marathon?" Anyway, for the most part I don't have trouble with that because I purposefully distance myself from people who do make comments. Often folks are surprised though. I don't know why it should be surprising - approximately a third of Americans don't. I don't have any religious resaons though, so I think some people just assume. I don't know why, but it is VERY important to some people to at least figure out the why. I mean, I don't really understand why people drink, but I also don't really care.

 

[georgina]

I enjoy alcohol, I often have beer or wine with dinner on the weekends. Sometimes a gin & tonic or Moscow mule. DH likes Scotch. We are cheapskates so we usually eat and drink at home. If I can buy a six pack of beer for $12 I don’t like paying $6-8 for one beer when out. Virginia has good local breweries and wineries whose products we enjoy.

I do drink more when on vacation. I really can’t relate to the OP feeling somehow obligated to buy drinks when out, we don’t go to sports bars but if we go out to hear music I usually will buy a beer.

 

[soccerdad72]

I don’t know where I would classify myself. I’ll have a drink while out for dinner and the occasional beer or wine at home maybe once a night. And we’ll get together with our neighbors every couple months for some drinks.

But I can also go weeks without having a drink.

 

[Moliphino]

It's great for my social anxiety and overcoming some sensory issues (mostly noise). It makes big parties bearable.

 

[Jennasis]

Zero importance. I don't drink at all.

 

[Shellsbutt]

I have definitely had comments before, including from some rude waiters. "In town for the marathon?" Anyway, for the most part I don't have trouble with that because I purposefully distance myself from people who do make comments. Often folks are surprised though. I don't know why it should be surprising - approximately a third of Americans don't. I don't have any religious resaons though, so I think some people just assume. I don't know why, but it is VERY important to some people to at least figure out the why. I mean, I don't really understand why people drink, but I also don't really care.

Yep, people have made comments to me too-it's none of their business. I don't know why it's so important for some people to know why a person chooses not to drink, who cares? If I'm feeling salty, I'll respond with "Why do you drink?"

 

[MIGrandma]

Not important at all, especially since I’m diabetic and don’t need the extra sugar.

I have an alcoholic drink maybe half a dozen times a year. A margarita, amaretto sour, or a frozen drink if we are on a cruise. But most of the time I prefer a club soda with a lime wedge.

 

[Shellsbutt]

Alcohol is not at all important to me. I experimented a little in my twenties (never been drunk though) and tried some wines and had a few beers. I never got the appeal and they tasted awful. Now that I'm early fifties, one drink and I get a headache or can't sleep at night. It's not worth it to me and I'm saving money. I can't believe how expensive drinks are at restaurants.

 

[tvguy]

When I was working, I'd have one glass of wine on Friday night and one on Saturday night. When we retired 2 1/2 years ago, we just got out of the habit. We were out to dinner Friday night and had the option of having a glass of wine or a beet, and I got a Dr. Pepper. I stopped drinking soft drinks about 2 years ago due to diabetes. So I don't need to have an alcoholic beverage in a social setting.
I might have one mixed drink a year, just never got into hard alcohol.
To OP's point about people wanting to maximize their drink package on a cruise. I still can't believe that Carnival Cruise line found it necessary to cap the unlimited drink package at 15 drinks per day per person. I just can't imagine having one alcoholic drink almost every waking hour.

 

[DCLMP]

So many teetotalers on the community forum. You wouldn't know it by the alcohol being consumed at WDW or on DCL. Maybe those drinkers are on another forum?

 

[mumto3girls]

We are very much social drinkers. We drink when out to dinner with friends, when we tailgate before football games, when we host hockey playoff parties and when we travel with other families for our daughter’s club sport and family holiday dinners. We almost never drink alone or even when it is just me and DH. I don’t think I consumed any alcohol at all during the first year of the pandemic as we weren’t really socializing at all and I didn’t miss it. I think I would miss it if other people were drinking and I wasn’t. Moderately important.