Whether or not the people of Cincinnati drink alcohol, almost no one wants to talk about it. In an attempt to find the "real" reason for imbibing alcohol, people I spoke with remained concise and sometimes downright rude in response to the idea of revealing their drinking habits and the reasons behind them.
Those who did open up usually gave reasoning involving "having fun" or "being social," skirting the idea of drinking to get drunk. Why not talk about it?
We don't sneak down the wine aisle and hide some Merlot under an economy-sized roll of paper towels at the grocery store. We fill bars on the weekends, socializing with friends and, after a few drinks, strangers.
Perhaps alcohol doesn't enter the brain like scientists claim, because it doesn't seem that we give any thought to why we do or don't drink.
CityBeat: Do you drink? Why?
Yes, because I don't like nothin' or nobody.
Yes, every blue moon.
-- Yes, for relaxation.
Dorothy Lynch, Over-the-Rhine
Yes, for fun and entertainment.
-- Molly Firestone, Clifton
Yes, to relax. And I enjoy it.
-- Gary Simon, Fort Thomas
Yes, to be social.
-- Colleen Kelley, Colerain Twp.
Yes, to be social.
-- Bill Landrum, Southgate
Yes, I like the taste of alcohol.
-- Antonio Lewis, Winton Place
No, it gets you into bad health, so I stopped before it got me.
-- Ernest Thomas, Hartwell
No, I quit about four to five years ago.
-- Dale Coffey, Cincinnati
No, for health reasons.
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