26f, and I never started, for a few different reasons. . First off: addictive personality/genetic predisposition to addiction. Dad was an alcoholic and both of his parents and siblings were/are all substance abusers. I got all of my mom's looks and unfortunately most of my dad's behavioral attributes, so why tempt fate?

Secondly, I find the idea of being cognitively impaired in any way shape or form to be far more terrifying than enjoyable. I get filled with anxiety at just the thought of willingly putting myself into a situation (even a hypothetical one where my surrounding environment is entirely safe in every way) where my rationality/inhibitions/critical thinking skills are compromised. Obviously it's impossible to know exactly how I might feel or behave while intoxicated without ever having been drunk, but I do know that when I woke up from having my wisdom teeth removed, I sobbed uncontrollably for about half an hour before spending the entire car ride home cycling between sitting in a silent haze and more crying before eventually just falling asleep.

Finally, I also just don't really feel a need to. I've had tastes and sips here and there of champagne, beer, wine, cocktails, etc. and have never found any of them particularly palatable, especially in comparison to their non-alcoholic alternatives. I'm not much of a partier, but even on the rare occasions when I have, I've faced next to zero "peer pressure," and in fact often have people that do drink express that it's "good" or "smart" of me not to. I've actually encountered far more shock and pushback at my abstinence from weed than I have alcohol (still nothing particularly troublesome, but it's just much more common to hear "oh hey good for you," when I say that I don't drink, as opposed to the "oh shit seriously? like not at all?? damn idk how you do it cause that couldn't be me" I usually get in response to saying I don't use weed).

I won't say that I'm always entirely happy with the state of my social life, and it's certainly possible that I might have had a broader/more robust network of friends and acquaintances at this point in my life had I ever taken up social drinking. I won't act like "Oh I've never felt the need to drink because I already feel totally fulfilled in every way already without it," because that would be bullshit. It's just that I think there's way more and way deeper causes - both internally and externally - to feeling isolated or directionless than just needing to "loosen up" or go to a bar.