Maybe it is just me, but it seems that the predominant drinks served in Europe are alcoholic. Is it possible to enjoy Europe without drinking alcohol at all?

My S/O and I are headed to Spain in the early fall and would naturally like to experience tapas bars. However, he cannot drink alcohol. (He is an alcoholic, recovering, so alcohol is off limits for him) I am not much of a drinker, and since we have been together, I don't drink at all. Normally, we both drink lots of water during the day, and at meals either water, soft drinks, iced teas, or lemonades/fruit drinks. This works well in the US, but from what I'm reading it appears this might not in Europe.

So...how important is alcohol? Is it possible to forego the wine with dinner and order something else? And what would that something else be?? And how does this affect (if at all) the Menú del Día? And could we still do the tapas bars? Without getting wine or beer, is there anything else to drink at these places?

Would hate to lose out on an experience, but my S/O's priority to maintain his sobriety comes first, so if we must miss out on things then so be it. But if anyone has any experience or suggestions, it would be appreciated.

Thank you!

I don't think the predominant drinks in Europe are alcoholic any more than that's true in the USA. There are literally hundreds of kinds of liquid refreshment available all over Europe, with considerable differences from country to country. Bottled water, for example, was pretty much a European fad long before it was in America.

I don't think this will be an issue for you at all.

While most people do enjoy a copa or a cana (a small wine or beer)at the tapas bars, the focus is on the food and the conversation. So there would be no pressure to drink at these places, and you'll be able to find espresso or soft drinks at all of them. My favorite is Fanta Limon - a sort of carbonated lemonade.

Note though that a soft drink will never be included in the price of the menu del dia, and I find the price of a Coke to be much higher in Spain than in the States. But its certainly available.

I'm in recovery as well and have been to Europe many times- it's fine, don't worry. Go to the bars and enjoy the tapas.
I usually learn how to say "I'm allergic to alcohol" in the language of the country I'm visiting. Keeps the conversation short.
I'll be in Paris all the month of July and will be attending AA meetings occasionally- already got the schedule. There are english-speaking meetings in Spain as well- I think the website is www.aaspain.org. Or google "alcoholics anonymous in Spain" if that doesn't work. Meetings in exotic places are fascinating- you make awesome connections.
If I was still drinking I would not be able to travel. Now yor husband and I get to enjoy our lives! Go for it!

I have never found the need to give an explanation for not ordering alcohol. Many times I have had meals where nobody ordered alcohol, and many other times where only one or two in a larger group did.

This has never been a problem except in a rembetika club in Athens, where we were told we had to order a bottle of wine as the club was licensed as a club but not as a restaurant and could not serve meals without alcohol. The price of the wine was basically the cost of the entertainment. Nobody had to drink it.

As was made clear on a previous thread, bottled water is *so* prevalent in Europe, that I don't think you should worry at all about feeling self-conscious--even at bars, should you choose to go!! Also, many European bars are also sidewalk cafes where many are sipping espresso, cappuchino, etc.

Just order bottled waters. Flat or fizzy. A large one to share for two people is most common. I think it *is* custom to have some beverage on the table with restaurant meals, not just tap water automatically poured (so a bit different than the US in that way).

Along with bottle water, soft drinks are probably available as well to include Coke Lite/Light (the European form of Diet Coke) as well as the more ubiquitous Fanta.

Chele: Everyone here has given great advice - you don't have to drink alcohol to "fit in" while traveling.

When my husband and I travel, some nights we have a couple of drinks and/or wine and some nights we don't. We have just as good a time on the nights we drink bottled water and I don't remember anyone looking at us askance.

One thing, though. The last time we were in Europe we almost always had free alcohol waiting for us in our room - usually a local wine or liquer. There is also the ever-present mini-bar. If this would pose a problem for your husband, you may want to make arrangements ahead of time to have the alcohol removed from your room.

Wow! This was quick! Thank you all. This eases my mind quite a bit. The Fanta Limon sounds good, and my S/O is a huge fan of limonada so this might be a good substitute for him.

I know this might seem a bit weird, but I'm just trying to be as prepared as possible.

I have never had anyone, anywhere, here, or abroad, make an issue or question what I ordered to drink. I rarely drink, don't really like it, and while I enjoy a glass of really good wine now and then, I will frequently go for month without drinking alcohol. I finally got a small wine frige because I had some very expensive wine go bad because the cork dried out..it had just been around too long. It won't be a problem for you at all.

I think that there is LESS pressure to drink in Europe than in the US. The pubs and tapas bars and cafes are part of the culture. It is my perception that most people who go to a bar in the US go to drink, not the case in a good part of Europe where the socializing is more important.
No need to debate this- it's just my opinion! Best bet is to order large bottles of fizzy water and also other non alcoholic drinks.

It's not true that the predominant drinks served in Europe are alcoholic. First, we need to note that European culture is not uniform, and it varies greatly by country and by region within each country.

I'm most familiar with Italy, which is definitely not a "drinking culture." In much of the south of Italy (especially Sicily), in fact, excessive drinking is considered very strange and inappropriate and socially unacceptable behavior. Drinking wine with meals and having a very small strong drink right after dinner (especially in Sicily and the south)is "normal" and widely enjoyed in a very natural way. However, no one cares whether someone does or doesn't order an alcoholic drink in a restaurant.

AWhen traveling, st the evening meal, very often I'll have wine but sometimes not; at lunch occasionally I'll have wine but usually not. I really like the custom of having an after dinner drink at the table (instead of or with dessert), but I don't normally do that if I'm alone (though it would be OK if I did). I never saw the slightest evidence that the waiters or fellow diners cared whether I had any alcoholic drink or not. I doubt that they'd care in Spain either. Whether having wine or not, I always have water--either bottled non-gassy water or tap water, depending where I was. If just stopping for something to drink in the middle of the day, there are lots of choices, the vast majority of them nonalcoholic, including, but not limited to, water, coffee, fruit juices, flavored ice teas, syrup-flavored water, fresh drinks of pressed almonds and water and sugar (in Sicily and parts of Spain), American sodas, local sodas.

I don't like to drink cocktails, aperifs, before-dinner drinks myself, and at this point of my life I'm not going to let anyone pressure me to do so, and I don't stop to have an alcoholic drink in the course of the day unconnected with some meal. There was nothing about the local culture in any of the places I've traveled that made me feel out of place for not doing so.

The ONLY times I've ever felt pressured to have alcoholic drinks at times when I just am not used to it and don't like to was when I was traveling with groups of Americans on certain small-group tours when I felt pressured to meet for before-dinner drinks. I definitely felt social pressure to participate or else be viewed as anti-social. But that was an "American thing."

Just tell them what you want and they will get it for you.

Muck

There are plenty of people who are on medication who choose not to drink. I'm with Mucky on this one "Just tell them what you want and they will get it for you." Have a great time!

P.S. What's S/O?

I believe S/O stands for Significant Other.

Hi Chele60, I just returned from Barcelona today and can assure you that the waiters will not think twice if you order water or a soda with dinner or tapas. Neither my husband or I drink. Once or twice we were asked if we wanted wine with dinner there was absolutely no pressure when we declined. Have a wonderful time on your trip and don't give this another thought!

Agree that in europe there is no pressure to drink alcohol. We rarely have wine or beer with lunch - usually just water. And while we almost always have wine with dinner we also have a large bottle of water as well - since neither of us ever drinks more than a galss of two of wine.

This is just really a non-issue.