New Delhi, July 11 -- The questions always come in the same sequence. First, surprise. Then, concern. Then, the interrogation: But why? As if choosing not to drink requires a diagnosis, or at least a dramatic backstory. Mine has none of these. I just stopped wanting it.

For context: I am a journalist who writes about food and travel. Everywhere I go, there's alcohol. It is, in the most literal sense, part of the job. Which makes what I am about to say quite ironic. To begin with, I was never a big drinker. I was drinking because the people around me were good company and the glass was part of the setting. When I realised that, the glass became optional, and finally unnecessary.

What I didn't anticipate was how much that would bother oth...