Drinking Alcohol

Living in a college town, alcohol is readily available. There are plenty of bars, restaurants, and stores where the purchase should be no problem at all. However, I don’t drink alcohol. Why I don’t is a multi-pronged issue:

1. My religion, the Baha’i Faith, prohibits the drinking of alcohol. Plenty of religions prohibit the drinking of alcohol, but followers still get drunk. The quote from the Kitab-i-Aqdas: “It is forbidden for an intelligent person to drink that which depriveth him of his intelligence; it behoveth him to engage in that which is worthy of man, not in the act of every heedless doubter.” Its not so much don’t do this because you will go to Hell. Its more you have no need to do this, so why do it?
2. Alcohol has been a major part of my life. As long as I can remember, I have been around the stuff. One of my earliest memories is taking a sip of beer at age 4 or 5 and finding it to be the most revolting thing I had ever tasted. Wine wasn’t much better. My earliest memory of drinking wine was vomiting soon after the swallow. As a Catholic, I found Communion difficult because of the taste of wine and this bad association.
3. Alcohol has been a major part of the life of those to which I am close. I have seen moderate and reckless drinkers. Friends have gone to jail, the hospital, or seeming comas over the consumption of alcohol. I have held long-term concerns for people whose lives seem to have been taken over by this stuff. My friends and family who are going through AA seem to enjoy their lives so much more after starting in a group than while being an active drinker.
4. Its been the goal of many of drinker to make me start. Its like I need to drink alcohol to understand them? Probably I do, but I certainly can pass on that understanding. Does it make you sleep better at night to know you spiked my drink without me knowing?
   

Its not for me. You will decide for yourself your views. I don’t intend to judge. Personally, I think I have enough character flaws that I do not need to add to them.