<p>Whew, thank God some other wine drinkers came out of the woodwork! I was feeling a little alone out there about admitting that I love to have wine a few pages back!</p>
<p>Wikipedia has a nice overview of the positive health effects of moderate wine consumption, including that it is associated with positive psychological well-being and higher IQ. </p>
<p><a href=“Health effects of wine - Wikipedia”>http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_wine</a></p>
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<p>You have no observant LDS or Muslim friends or business associates?</p>
<p>Or do you do a lot of business in Japan or Korea, where getting drunk with your business associates is apparently much more of an expectation than in the US?</p>
<p>I don’t ask people what religion they practice, as it is none of my business. And my experience in Japan and Korea is limited to one visit each. What is your point?</p>
<p>NorthM and a couple others mentioned that they always have adult beverages at home and couldn’t imagine otherwise because they are thinking of their guests. I would just want to add - if you enter a person’s home who does NOT drink, don’t think they aren’t being cordial to their guests - if alcohol is not in your world - truly, just not something you think about, spend money on, you totally skip that aisle at the grocery store - it just isn’t something that is felt to be necessary or routine. You shouldn’t be offended just like I wouldn’t be offended if I was offered alcohol when I didn’t want to partake. </p>
<p>Now while I don’t have alcohol at home (truly none besides a tiny bottle of cooking wine) I ALWAYS would have dessert available for guests - don’t judge me!!! ;)</p>
<p>I enjoy a glass of wine with dinner/in the evening. I don’t care for the taste of hard liquor, but if others do, I have no problem with it. I also have no problem with someone not drinking alcohol at all.</p>
<p>The thing I don’t have available for guests is coffee. We don’t drink it and I don’t really know how to make it. Some visitors have brought their own or made Starbucks runs. There’s always beer and wine, though!</p>
<p>The thing I never have on stock is any kind of soft drinks. We have water, tea or coffee, beer or wine. I have to sometimes run out and buy Coke or lemonade mix depending on who is coming.</p>
<p>Same with us, @dbwes. We do have some flavored sparkling water, but if they want “soda” we would have to make a special trip to the store. </p>
<p>We have some dear friends who no longer drink. One spouse had to give it up because of the problems it was causing in life, and the other just seems to have lost the taste for it, although this friend will have a rare cocktail at dinner, which seems to sit largely untouched. Neither of them ever liked wine, but they always love it when we bring a bottle as a dinner gift. They love that because they have something to offer guests in the future; knowing nothing about wine, they know that whatever we brought them is going to be very appreciated by future guests.</p>
<p>I would hesitate to bring wine to a home of people who don’t drink if I didn’t know them as well as our close friends above, though.</p>
<p>When I think about it we do not have any friends that do not drink socially. Not one. None of our friends really drink hard liquor but when we get together the wine does flow. </p>
<p>I do remember vacationing once with a couple who did not drink - we rented a ski house together because our children were friends, but we really did not know them all that well. The fact that they did not drink did not stop us, but It does feel a bit unbalanced somehow. It wasn’t really an issue during the time we spent with them. Although I am not sure how a couple that did not drink would feel at one of our get togethers where everyone is imbibing. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t be offended if a host didn’t serve morning coffee or evening wine, but I sure would miss it. Those are two of my favorite daily rituals. </p>
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<p>But then it appears that you have not encountered observant members of religions which forbid alcohol consumption, or others who prefer not to drink alcohol for any other reason, who may be bothered by your presumption that everyone other than recovering alcoholics should drink a little wine.</p>
<p>It is not a concern to me that others are bothered by my ideas about drinking wine. </p>
<p>I don’t drink much, but I do like the occasional daiquiri or glass of wine. DH has a glass of wine most days. My drug of choice is caffeine; I love my morning tea and can’t imagine life without it. I happily serve wine, beer, tea, coffee, soft drinks, and juices to guests. I even have some bottled water on hand for emergencies, although generally I go with Portland’s Finest Tap Water. </p>
<p>Our neighborhood has a regular evening (once/month) of sharing a drink and potluck with our neighbors. That interest in a sociable drink together–and lots of people don’t drink alcohol but do have a glass of something–has led to a neighborhood where we all know each other, share resources, and keep an eye out for our mutual safety.</p>
<p>I believe alcohol can act as a drug or act as a beverage. It can be useful in both situations. Some it tastes great and some of it is great if you feel like numbing your mind for a bit.</p>
<p>“don’t drink and never really have. No alcoholism, no DUI, nothing like that. I always say that alcohol is an acquired taste that I never acquired and that’s the truth. I treat alcohol the same way as I treat meat. I choose not to partake, but I don’t mind if others do.”</p>
<p>That’s me - I don’t drink beyond the occasional glass of wine. I don’t currently have any alcohol in my house (I don’t think – haven’t opened our ostensible liquor cabinet in ages). But it’s not due to alcoholism fears or tendencies - I just don’t like the taste, nothing more. </p>
<p>In business or social settings, I’ll order my soft drink of choice and I don’t feel uncomfortable at all. It feels no different of a choice than coffee vs tea. Personal preference. I think it’s stupid for me to waste my time, money and taste buds on a beverage I simply don’t care for. I don’t like coconut either … So if everyone orders coconut cake I should do so to fit in?? Nonsense. </p>
<p>I have on occasion encountered situations where I felt that I needed to say that my choice to not drink wasn’t a moral issue and I had no problem with others doing so, just not my choice. I resent feeling like I have to make a disclaimer, and I particularly resent the idea that someone would assume I was a recovering alcoholic. </p>
<p>Sorry Bay, I’m not going to drink just to “fit in,” because it’s a stupid thing to have to "fit in " with. If the drink orders are 4 diet Cokes, I don’t need to “fit in” if I’m in the mood for iced tea instead. That doesn’t change if it’s 4 alcoholic beverages. </p>
<p>I agree it can be a nice ritual, but it just doesn’t appeal to me all that much. No aspersions on those for whom it does appeal. </p>
<p>I was in Bordeaux 2 weeks ago for business. The hotel was obviously wine oriented and you got a free glass of wine each night. I sat in the pleasant courtyard and enjoyed the surroundings, but the taste of the fine wine was wasted on me. It’s just personal preference. Otoh a world without dessert isn’t a world worth living in! </p>
<p>Yes, personally, I like regular water–from the tap or on ice as my primary beverage of choice. On occasion, I will have a smoothie or bubble tea or even a few sips of a sweet wine, but I honestly greatly prefer the water. I don’t feel awkward if I’m the only one drinking water or have a mixed virgin blended drink. I honestly don’t care for the taste of alcohol and never have found it part of my ritual. </p>
<p>I can’t recall ever apologizing or explaining why I was choosing to drink water or something non-alcoholic (except when I was unsuccessfully pledging a sorority who said I was NOT being friendly enough to the frat boys, about 4 decades ago–could it have been so long?)</p>
<p>I agree that a nice dessert is a great way to celebrate.</p>
<p>I grew up in the rural South at a time when most people did not drink alcohol. My spouse and I don’t drink, our parents and most of our extended family members don’t drink, and our children don’t drink. The first time I ever saw anyone drinking was when I was in college. Things have changed around here in the past thirty or so years, with many more people from other parts of the country moving into the area. Now we will occasionally go to an event where alcohol is present. If I am offered alcohol, I just say “No thank you.” On the very few occasions when someone has insisted that I have alcohol, I have repeated “No thank you” and finally said “I don’t drink” if the pressure continued.</p>
<p>My children have a number of friends who are either Mormon or Muslim. They all like to get together in an environment where they know drinking won’t even be a topic of conversation.</p>
<p>Just a comment about the dangers of smoking vs. drinking: I’d rather be in the room with someone drinking a glass of wine than with someone smoking a cigarette. However, I’d rather be on the road with a driver who has smoked a cigarette than with a driver who has had a glass of wine. The smoker in the room and the drinker on the road are both potentially putting other people at risk, and I’m much more concerned about that than about what they are doing to their own bodies.</p>
<p>Here’s another vote for dessert.</p>
<p>“Give me a break. Sipping a glass of wine is not going to kill you.”</p>
<p>Neither will having dessert. Do you think people should force themselves to eat dessert at a business dinner if everyone else is, just to “fit in”? Even if they’re watching their weight, are full, or are just not in the mood for it? </p>