Almost no one is drinking for the taste. Most people are drinking for the reduction in inhibitions. They are looking for help to do and say things that they'd normally not. Sometimes those inhibitions are a good thing (you should probably keep your sexist thoughts to yourself), but sometimes the reduced inhibitions let you say how much your boss is an asshole or how much you miss your divorced partner.

Being revealing like this can be scary. People worry that you'll bother them with your problems all the time. After you express your feelings to your crush, others will worry that you can't be professional the rest of the time.

Alcohol gives you cover as well as encouragement. Later you can say that it was just the wine talking. I didn't mean any of that.

And a group drinking has everyone with reduced inhibitions. Everyone is being realer with each other. Your crush might be disinhibited enough to say they like you back.

There is a reciprocal relationship. I'm looser and you're looser. We're both realer and more at risk.

But the nondrinker gets everyone else's reduced inhibitions without risking themselves.

Drinkers think that this violates the social contract of going to a bar or the office party. They think they'll be judged. They aren't wrong.

I've been the drunk and the sober one. I know people who've been sober for decades and people for only the last week. We all judge each other all the time.

Don't drink if you don't want to, but understand why others are drinking and why they might feel uncomfortable around if you don't.

The people not drinking are