How important is Alcohol?

[GoingSince1990]

I do enjoy a nice IPA with dinner, but it is unpardonably rude to ever question or pressure anyone who declines an alcoholic beverage. That person may be pregnant, trying to get pregnant, taking medication, or a recovering alcoholic who may well relapse with even a single drink, and all of these things that person would very likely want to keep to themselves.

 

[wenrob]

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!

I do get the side eye when I order just water which is 90% of the time. No, I’m not cheap or trying to save money or any other assumption. I just like water. My son is the same way. At home we don’t even have beverages with our meal. A lot of times ordering water is the only way to get them to stop asking if you want something to drink.

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?

I see these influencers drinking all the time in the Parks and I wonder how they can make it through a full day. It’s a physically demanding vacation, I can’t imagine throwing alcohol into the mix.

 

[bcla]

I can manage without alcohol, but occasionally I'll enjoy a drink. It's not that big a deal though. I have settled into a routine every week where I get pizza and a beer, but I bring my own beer to save money. It's kind of hard to explain, but outside beer or wine at my spot is more or less allowed.

That being said, alcohol is very important to many businesses that serve it. It's extremely high margin, doesn't require that much work, and there's generally little spoilage like there is for food. My only issue is that I see a lot of people who do wait until they drive, and often there are police just waiting get someone for a DUI. If I'm driving, my routine is to spend at least an hour after my last sip.

 

[jerrywilliams]

I stopped drinking one month ago and feel great! These days i will concentrate more on my family, especially on the kids. Want to spend more quality time with them . I will adjust my schedule and even started to use assignment writing service https://ukwritings.cоm/assignment-service for those purposes. All the papers took a lot of my time before , so that has to be changed.

 

[disykat]

No, I’m not cheap or trying to save money or any other assumption. I just like water.

LOL! I AM cheap and I really like the money savings! I'm always trying to talk my husband into just drinking water for that reason.

However, I also think most of the other stuff flat out isn't good for you, and since I don't enjoy it it's a no brainer to spend my calories elsewhere.

 

[Beezle2]

I've never been much of a drinker and the older I get the less I seem to drink. I still like a beer or a cocktail sometimes ut I never drink regularly. Hubs likes his more regularly and drinks a few beers or drinks every week.

 

[unrequited23]

I grew up with an alcoholic parent and have a strong family history of alcoholism. I'm very aware of my alcohol consumption and the motivations for drinking. But I do enjoy a glass or two of wine with a nice meal out, a seasonal drink at a holiday gathering or beachy cocktail poolside on vacation.

 

[John VN]

Can take it or leave it.

The glass of BOXED RED ORGANIC wine that I filled yesterday at 3pm when I began preparing dinner was still 1/3rd full minutes ago and wound up being poured down the sink drain. In contrast, when DW and I cruise MSC Yacht Club Level in which ALL drinks are free, the bottle of RED opened for me as dinner begins comes close to being emptied by dessert time. Rarely do I have some of the 80 to 125 proof whiskies in my collection but again while cruising I enjoy straight or mixed drinks.

 

[tony67]

I would not say its important, its something I really enjoy though.
Mixology is a bit of a hobby of mine, and I enjoy trying all varieties of beer.
I like a nice red wine as well.

I went a few years without drinking at all for the most part, but you can only drink so many tonic waters with a lime at the pub when socializing or watching a big match..

When going for a meal I feel a soda is worse for you and costs nearly as much as a beer in some places.
I very rarely drink soda anyway.
With a nice meal I think you need a decent glass of wine.

Its also a big cultural thing to go to the pub and have a few pints and even today much of family life revolve around going to the pub, so much so that I build a pub in my basement for when we have visitors.
Taking your kid for their first pint at 18 is also a big thing, and then again at 21 in the states.

With the price of drink in the states now I very rarely go out to a pub, its just too expensive and then you add the tip onto that. I even got my kid a job at the bar so he can go and socialize and not spend all his money on drink.

The only thing that gets me out is to socialize, watch a big match or if there is a good trad session on at the pub.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I pretty much never have a drink at a restaurant. Call me cheap, but I find the prices to be way too high for the same stuff you can have at home.

At home, I do enjoy partaking of the "fruit of the vine" regularly. It is so nice to sit on the patio and enjoy, or kick back on the couch.

I don't drink cocktails or anything like that. Wine is my thing.

 

[BrianL]

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?"

I once had a coworker kind of pressuring me on it, so I stopped and said, "Let me tell you a story about how alcohol destroyed my marriage, burned my house down, and killed my dog." He looked at me and said, "Really?" I said, "No, but you might feel pretty bad if that were true." The real answer is that I choose not to - it's really nobody's concern why.

 

[lovin'fl]

So...it is kinda important to me and the hubby too. All the folks we hang with as well. It became that way during covid. Stuck inside all that time and nothing else to do but cook and drink and watch TV. It sort of stuck except now we don't have to cook and can go out.

We too feel the need to get a drink or 2 when we go out. We tend to always sit at the bar since usually just the 2 of us and sitting at the bar isn't a wait like getting a table. If we sit at the bar we feel we should get drinks or give up the seats to someone who will get drinks, you know.

But it's not a problem because we like to have drinks. Maybe too much. But we also see folks way way more imbibing than us. Look at the DDD Facebook page.

And we get on a cruise on Thur. Didn't get the drink package this time. Had it last time and felt hard pressed to get our money worth. We found ourselves ordering drinks we really didn't want. So this time we can just get what we want and when we want. And then compare cost (drink package would be around $1200 for the 2 of us including tips).

 

[snowwite]

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.

Your town sounds fantastic. I lived in a small town in upstate NY like that when I was younger. It’s so nice to feel safe and comfortable. We live in a city now and I miss the country some days.

 

[snowwite]

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.

Same. I would rather eat my calories. Lol

 

[snowwite]

I would not say its important, its something I really enjoy though.
Mixology is a bit of a hobby of mine, and I enjoy trying all varieties of beer.
I like a nice red wine as well.

I went a few years without drinking at all for the most part, but you can only drink so many tonic waters with a lime at the pub when socializing or watching a big match..

When going for a meal I feel a soda is worse for you and costs nearly as much as a beer in some places.
I very rarely drink soda anyway.
With a nice meal I think you need a decent glass of wine.

Its also a big cultural thing to go to the pub and have a few pints and even today much of family life revolve around going to the pub, so much so that I build a pub in my basement for when we have visitors.
Taking your kid for their first pint at 18 is also a big thing, and then again at 21 in the states.

With the price of drink in the states now I very rarely go out to a pub, its just too expensive and then you add the tip onto that. I even got my kid a job at the bar so he can go and socialize and not spend all his money on drink.

The only thing that gets me out is to socialize, watch a big match or if there is a good trad session on at the pub.

The pub culture is definitely different in other countries. My husband is from Scotland and everyone has a local. Wetting the baby’s head, taking a mate of a pint, watching the football, even just grabbing a meal and a pint. It’s all normal, daily routine there. To me it felt more like sitting in a friend’s living room than a bar. I still drank when we met. The first time I went to order a round the bar tender gave me this tiny cup of Guinness. I was like what’s this? He said oh sorry that’s what lassies usually want. I was like no I definitely want a pint of my own, thanks. He definitely drank when he came here but has lost the taste for it. He also brewed his own beer and stout but now he bakes, Turns out we have sugar in bread and don’t even know it. He has learned to make nearly everything he misses.

 

[MamaMermaid]

Not important. I don't really like the taste of alcohol. I'll have a cocktail here and there on a vacation or at a party but that's really the extent of it. Maybe 5 drinks a year?

 

[holden]

We usually enjoy a glass of wine at night. We do order something when we are at a restaurant - wine or a cocktail - but we most often just have one.

If I don't have anything or I'm somewhere it's not offered, I'm fine with that. It's not "important," but it's something we enjoy.

 

[firefly_ris]

Same. I would rather eat my calories. Lol

This... if the calories are between alcohol or dessert I'm always going to pick the dessert.

I can take it or leave it. I have maybe one drink per month, sometimes less.

 

[Cadiewampus]

Have you tried “Athletic”? Pretty good for an N/A, 25 calories and 5g carbs(the Lite version) -if we‘re going to a party or the beach I’ll pack a few to mix in with the real stuff over the course of a day.

I quit drinking back in April but do drink non alcoholic beers as I just like the taste of beer. The industry needs to adopt new standards when it comes to term N/A beers. Athletic like so many out there actually do have some alcohol in them which is very little but I prefer to drink ones that truly show 0% alcohol. Bud Zero, Heineken 00, Estrella Galacia, Stella Liberte, Ceria to name a few.

 

[Cadiewampus]

I have and they are ok. Brooklyn and Brewdog have the best N/A beers I've tried. The latter have a subscription box that is great and their dry January pack is always unique.

Technically (in my mind) Brooklyn and Brewdog are not N/A as they do have some alcohol in them.