Ruminations on the Social Impact of not Consuming Alcohol
August 28th, 2011
Watching Jazz in New Orleans
As part of my macrobiotic experiment, I have eliminated alcohol from my diet for at least a month. It has been 28 days since I last consumed alcohol. My last drink was consumed in a live Jazz bar in New Orleans, so no one can claim I did not give alcohol a proper send off.
Giving up alcohol was effortless both physically and mentally. I only drank on the weekends when I was still drinking, and after one weekend of not drinking I felt great. I was able to get up at a reasonable time on Saturday and Sunday morning, I wasn’t hungover, and overall I was more productive during the day than I would have been otherwise. I decided I liked this plan. What I didn’t take into account were the social ramifications of not drinking.
So much of American culture seems to include drinking. After work we have happy hour, on the weekends we go to bars, or have parties at a friends house that include drinking. And it’s worse in a small town. If your only options are the movies, bowling, going to a party or going to the bars, it’s more likely that your activity will involve alcohol. And with a primarily 20-something crowd your likelihood turns into a near certainty.