Life is not only a box of chocolates but also a pizza. You can have all the toppings, many toppings, some toppings, or no toppings. Even without any toppings, you still can take off all the cheese.
And even though I don't drink any alcohol, I can assure you that my life isn't as boring as a pizza without the cheese.
My life is like any other normal pizza - only it's enjoyed without the beer.
I still do the many fun things that my friends who drink do. I'm a concert junkie. I love exploring whatever city that happens to be nearby me, watching movies, scrapbooking, writing - I even went to the Berliner Fanmeile to watch the World Cup. It's just that I chose not to drink any Bier when I was there.
I can guarantee you that my choice not to drink has nothing to do with my upbringing. My parents are not squares, nor did they raise me to be a square (who else would let their five-year-old watch Friends or Will & Grace?).
I can also guarantee you that my choice not to drink isn't the consequence of some deeply-rooted psychological childhood trauma. It has nothing to do with any kind of fear. It's simply a choice that I have made. I don't need to drink, so why not not drink?
So no, what I write here isn't a vow to not drink. In fact, my choice not to drink has nothing to do with moral conviction or anything remotely religious.
Rather, what I write here is a response to all who have asserted, "I don't judge!" yet nonetheless manage to bombard me with questions like "why?" or "have you even tried?" or "what do you do for fun, then?" - as though the only way to ever have fun was to drink beer. (Here I would like to give props to my fellow Fords, who, in the spirit of our Honor Code, have never given me any trouble).
I only ask that those who drink do not pass judgment on me, in the same way I don't pass judgment on them.
I do not claim to be the voice of all sober people, but I think many would appreciate having their choice not to drink be accepted for what it is. And even if their choice has something to do with their religion or moral conviction, then of course it should still be respected too.
The choice not to drink just makes life another kind of pizza - but because it's a pizza served without any beer, perhaps it could be served with a soda.