Quote:
Originally Posted by Jima64
After years of reading the forums I finally convinced myself to seriously consider buying a home in the Villages. Despite all the alcohol related problems with domestic abuse and drunk driving I'm ready to give the Villages a try. To those that stay sober do you really get to enjoy the village squares, restaraunts(sp) and other amenities without a social life of alcohol and social drug use. Do you find neighborhoods up north or the middle more established and peaceful? Thanks for any replies.
|
You're reading the wrong websites, if that's your take-away of life in the Villages.
On any given non-holiday-celebration night, there might be a few hundred people in the Square. Of those few hundred, a few dozen will be drinking. Of those few dozen, a handful or two will be drunk enough that their judgment is impaired. Of that handful or two, two or three will be bad enough that they really shouldn't drive. It is unlikely that those who should -not- drive as a result of being too impaired by alcohol, will drive anyway.
This is no different from any other venue where alcohol is served, but not the focus (meaning, it isn't a bar, but it has one) on a non-holiday-celebration night.
Other than marijuana (which is illegal recreationaly and legal medically) and rare random "oh shoot I already took one muscle relaxer for my back strain, and I just took another one by mistake too soon!" situation, there isn't much of a drug problem in the Villages at all. Are there people who abuse? Of course. That is true in every community that isn't a designated rehab facility.
But by and large, social drinking is nothing more than that: most people will have A drink, socially. An aperitif with their appetizer, a glass of wine with their chicken dinner, or a mug of beer with their wings.
In every community in this country that isn't "dry" you'll find people who congregate around the bar, sucking down beer after beer. They are the minority, there and here.
I enjoy a pina colada from time to time, but I've found that they are all made with "mix" in the Villages, so when I want one I make it at home. And I will generally just refrain from alcohol completely when I'm out. Not because I'm "sober" but because I'm not going to pay $7-10 for an inferior drink when I can make an awesome one at home for less than $2.
I also like Sangria, but the same thing. Mine's better. And every time I try to get Kahlua and milk, they use 1% or 2%, or the milk is sour. Blech. So I do without.
I never feel uncomfortable refraining from alcohol socially. No one ever tries to encourage me to drink alcohol, no one questions me when I say "no thanks I'd rather have water with lemon." I'm not even much of a soda drinker. I LIKE water with lemon. So that's what I usually drink when I'm out and to hell with anyone who has a problem with it
