I was born into a family of tee-totalers. They were so extreme that they wouldn't even patronize a restaurant if it served alcohol. After the patriarch died, I discovered Dad was the only teetotaler. Everyone else were closet alcoholics who came out of the closet and showed me why Dad was anti-alcohol. For some people, there's no such thing as alcohol in moderation.
Discussion
i also have tee-totaler parents and grandparents. I'm starting to think I need to follow the tradition.
i had half a glass of wine last night and felt like my epiglottis was going to melt for several hours afterwards. Not sure what alcohol +food does to my stomach nowadays, but i just can't drink it at all with acid reflux at night. i'm in my mid-30s.
i'll make an exception for a hypothetical trip to south france and visiting a cheese cave. or maybe someone's homemade beer.
My grandpa became a tee-totaler/non-smoker early 30s after serving in Navy. I remember when he would visit, we would have to eat dinner by 5pm so he could sleep without feeling heart-burn. He also had debilitating rheumatoid arthritis. His motto in the morning was , "same old oats, same old hay, same old breakfast everyday." Now i wonder if his oatmeal gave him the rheumatoid athritis. Or maybe it was something stressful in the South Pacific that triggered it.