Great piece! Very clear insights into your thought process. A couple observations.

1) Advertising is very powerful. Could it be possible that you’ve received the message that drinking is an integral part of many experiences, like a day on the beach, subliminally from commercials and just never questioned it?

2) Who you spend time around impacts your perception of normal. Not everyone drinks. Many people, in fact, do not drink at all. Just like it can seem like everyone clubs. Which just isn’t true.

However, if one works as a promoter, it will seem like everyone does drink and club because all the surrounding people are doing it. Similarly, cities like Paris have a strong drinking culture and it really does seem like everyone is drinking because you can see it when you walk down the street and pass by cafes. It still doesn’t mean that everyone drinks…but it’s easy to see why one would be more inclined to drink when everyone in the city seems to be doing it.