The alcohol dilemma
Since February of this year, I can now also legally drink in the USA. Which changes nothing for me. I believe it's 3 years now since I can legally buy and consume alcoholic beverages and to this day, I had none.
It sounds a little unbelievable at first, but by not partaking in this harmful ritual, you get excluded from certain occasions and interactions with people. Whether that's for the best, totally depends. I've been invited to drink with people many times before. One somewhat recent occasion that pops to mind was a company dinner to conclude the year 2024. I was very new at the company, but still got invited to join them for dinner and drinks with the rest of my coworkers, even though I barely knew anyone yet.
It made sense, they didn’t want the new guy to feel left out. Though, retrospectively, if I didn't go, not much would have changed anyway, and I would not have to endure that awkward night. The thing is, I couldn't drink or eat there. I do have certain dietary restrictions that prevent me from just ordering anything, both food and drink wise. There certainly were options, but those weren't so great. You do not wanna be the only one eating a fucking salad while others have burgers and steaks. I knew this beforehand, but I felt so obligated to go there. Anyway, I had my 2 Red Bulls and zoned out for the rest of the night. I didn't even get to speak with my coworkers that much, since we didn't really know each other that well at the time.
The second time me not drinking (almost) complicated things was when my boss took me to a work related event for networking. The plan was to go listen to a few seminars by Microsoft and our other business partners, and then go out drinking with other associates from different companies. Fortunately, my boss decided that this year's event was quite shit and didn't want to stick around for the late night networking. So, that was a big relief.
Another great example is high school. My classmates were a bunch of unwashed alcoholics, and I'm not exaggerating. The overwhelming majority of them went drinking almost every Friday and Saturday. If I recall correctly, 2 of them had to get a part-time job just to sustain this lifestyle. In this case, I did not feel that much left out. Rather spared. They weren't (and probably still aren't) the best people to be around. I'm just putting this here as another example of how drinking is a normal and socially acceptable thing.
It’s not the drinking I avoid. It’s the version of socializing that demands it. Which makes socializing that much more difficult for me. At least from my current perspective.
