Are We Ashamed?

I was walking down the street the other day with a couple of beers in my hands form me and a friend to try (Marble Dobber to be specific). Having tried this beer before I thought it would be good to enlighten my friend as to its awesome-ness.

However, walking down the street (this was about 3P.M. in the afternoon) I got the kind of paranoid feeling that people I was walking by may have been a bit judgmental of me. Why was this? What had I done wrong by carrying a few great beers in hand to a friends house?

This immediately brought me back to the off-license where I work. It is a strange phenomenon around our shop that a great deal of our customers will ask for a bag for single purchases, "can I gat a bag for that, I don't want to look like an alco" even though there buying a perfectly nice beer or, most often, a very nice bottle of wine.

What is it that makes people, and me on this occasion, embarrassed by having a drink? A good one in fact? I suppose if it wasn't a good one and it was a 3ltr bottle of cheap cider I probably wouldn't be in the state of mind to care what other people think, but thats not me.

I want to be confident to show off my purchases, like when someone buys a fancy new coat, but the thoughts of others may make me hide my alcoholic purchases. I think this needs to change.

We can not be embarrassed just because we enjoy a drink. We cannot accept that because we have one we are a binger according to society. We should be proud that we drink in a civilized way, and drink a product that is cultured. I'm all for a night on the town every now and again, but we shouldn't have to brown bag our craft beers, fine wines or great whiskies, should we?