Cheers

Shortly after we returned from Lyon, Highflyer's sisters paid us a visit for a few days. He knew to stock up a whole tray of "Sommerspritzer" from their favourite discounter and sure enough they had several bottles (of this very light and low-alcohol beverage) every night after returning from their shopping trips, joking "you know that we usually don't drink, so it's an exception". I don't mind and I don't judge and they don't try to make me join them, so everyone is happy. I would say that they (10 and 15 years older than us) are typical representatives of their generation: alcohol consumption is deeply ingrained in their daily rituals and a big part of social gatherings. You might even say that it's the very glue of social gatherings. When I see my mother, she almost gets offended if I don't at least join her for a symbolic glass of wine at least on one of our evenings together as "it doesn't taste nice if I have a glass on my own". 

Growing up, I have always been the odd one out who doesn't really enjoy the taste of alcohol that much and most of all, never craves it. I have "trained myself" to have a glass when people want to toast (and when I really don't feel like it I find it more polite to refuse than to let champagne go to waste) and a handful of alcoholic beverages actually has grown on me so that I appreciate the taste, even though I hardly ever would want a refill once I had one glass. I like the experience of having an "original" cocktail in a fancy setting and even celebrated 2 birthday at a cocktail bar, but I'm happy with the virgin version as well (and these are usually overly sweet so one is generally enough, for me, too).

When I was younger, I often had to justify my boring abstinence in social settings and have people tell me that sooner or later I'd learn to appreciate alcohol as if it was a skill I had not mastered yet. Needless to say this often made me the designated driver, a role I wasn't that happy about either as it meant I had to keep myself awake with coffee when the event lasted until the early hours of the morning, but still, better than driving with someone who was the opposite of sober even if they considered themselves perfectly capable of operating a car...

Recently, however, a growing number of people seem to have made the deliberate choice not to drink for a variety of reasons. The good thing is that I don't feel that I need to justify myself anymore when I'd much rather have a "soda zitron" than a glass of wine. The interesting thing is that some of them come across as rather judgemental and preachy and almost make me feel like an alcoholic when I accept a glass of sparkling wine to toast the birthday girl or boy. "Dry January" has become a thing, too, but I feel like I'm mostly "dry 365" anyway so it doesn't resonate with me. 

It's interesting that for the longest time I used to perpetuate the system: thinking I ought to cook a "proper" meal with meat for guests even if I don't each much meat myself anymore, I automatically think what wine would go with the meal because I expect guests to want some and feel disappointed if I didn't chill a bottle in advance. These days I often cook vegetarian dishes and have wine glasses "on standby" as more and more guests actually prefer water. Unless it's the sisters in law, of course.