In the West, when you choose not to excessively drink alcohol, you immediately miss out on two things – getting drunk, and the shared experience of a (drunken) night out. You may think you’re only saying no to alcohol, but what you’ll actually be saying no to is bonding with friends, shared experiences, comradeship and adventures. You may be very open to the latter experiences, but you will have inadvertently said no to them. You won’t do silly things with your friends, you won’t both share trying to recollect what happened the night before, you won’t be there for the 4am kebab, you won’t find solace with your friends as you all nurse hangovers. You won’t be part of the collective pronoun in ‘Did WE do that?’ You may be dying to do those things, but in most cases the door will be closed. It’s like those who fight a war together, win a sporting trophy or succeed in a work project. Instead, you’re on the sidelines. In short, you will be alone and uninvited, and between you and others there will always be a chasm.