Here’s the rules:
1: Post something you have never done that you think many people do. 2: Read the other posts, if you have done that thing, upvote it. If you have not done that thing, downvote it. 3: If you believe the person is lying, call them out on it in a reply. 4: If you are called out, give the full story. 4a: If you see a thread containing the full story, boost the person you think is right and truthful.
Person who has the most upvotes when the thread dies wins.
I definitely wouldn’t suggest that people need to run out with friends and drink copious amounts of alcohol. A night at the bar can be fun, but keeping that as an activity that a friend group commits to repeatedly isn’t a healthy setting (for instance alcoholism effects 10% of the population).
That being said, there are a lot of constructive uses with alcoholic beverages such as cooking and really unique flavor profiles. Some of the mixtures that are 90%+ non-alcoholic have interesting tastes that you just can’t recreate without the alcohol changing subtle differences in what’s present. Definitely respect your choice not to drink though, just throwing this out there as a healthier alternative than binge drinking for those who do want to try.
One semi-accidental food discovery I made is when you are sauteing onions and mushrooms, put a dash of soy (or even better liquid aminos) and then when they are almost done throw about a shot of red wine in and simmer it out. The combo brings out so much flavor that it’s almost overpoweringly good!
Some alcohol cooks off when used this way, but not all. Be cautious when cooking for others to mention this so non-drinkers can make an informed choice.
It can be a delicious addition though: alcohol dissolves flavor and aromatic compounds that water and fat cannot, so you get a lot of unique flavors especially from barrel-aged drinks like whisky and wine.