the outlier in drinking culture

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, a 19 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

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onto today’s topic: the outlier in drinking culture 🍻

i don’t drink alcohol. i’ve never tried it, and don’t plan to. why? well, i just personally have no need for it, and enjoy life as it is without introducing it, so why bother? my parents have also never tried alcohol, and i’ve grown up with them as my role models.

while traveling, this has introduced a bit of a social disconnect. most people want to grab drinks, which i have no problem getting a mocktail, but bars and clubs are just not my scene. 🍺 i don’t mind getting drinks while dining at a restaurant or doing an activity of some sort together, but the social pressure to drink in a bar while everyone around is urging you to gets irritating.

at the same time, i feel like others think i’m patronizing or being conceited if i tell them i don’t drink.

i genuinely don’t care at all if others drink around me, it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. i just personally choose not to.

justifying why i choose not to drink has also become annoying, so now i just say “yeah, it’s part of my religion,” and no further questions are asked. 😇

drinking culture is huge in east asia: korea, thailand, and now vietnam have proved this to me. with cups not given the chance to stay empty, and waiters giving me strange looks for not ordering a drink with my food, i have become an outlier.

i say, live and let live!

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