I am male. When I was younger, in my 20s, there was often social pressure to drink alcohol.
I have never smoked, always avoided it, but I have tried beer, uh, I thought it tasted horrible, so no. I have tried sherry, why the fuss about it? I had some wine once, well, didn't seem anything worth drinking to me. I know, out of step with most people, I am wondering what they all see in it. I get offers from a well-known supermarket for bottles of wine for ONLY £4.99, which seems a lot of money to me. I think that it is a good job that I don't drink alcohol, I don't think I could afford to!
I think that the most recent time I drank alcohol was over forty years ago at a cousin's wedding, and then only a sip from a glass of champagne so as not to appear rude.
I always had a soft drink at events in a pub or staff parties and the like. Certainly I would not drink and drive anyway, but saying 'no thank you, I'm driving' when offered alcohol was a convenient get out.
Yet drinking alcohol seems very popular. I think I saw somewhere that a lot of young adults these days do not drink alcohol and that is now mainstream culturally widely accepted, whereas years ago, the bemused attitude to someone male who did not have a 'proper' drink was widespread.
I think that some people reading this who like an alcoholic drink may wonder in amazement at why I just don't understand why, but I am really don't understand why drinking alcohol is so popular and supplying it is such a major industry, though recognising from my limited experience of going in pubs that they always seemed to have a small selection of soft drinks available, though some seemed to be dual purpose, such as either a soft drink or as a mixer to make some sort of cocktail.
Grandson asking Granddaughter to show him her gymnastics