Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Alcohol [was Question]

[Robert (robert]

> In Eno Commons, where we used to live, I frequently found the famous 
> cohousing quote about it taking "two hours and two beers to get home 
> from the parking lot on Friday night" to be very true. And most big 
> parties included beer and wine, or single malt whiskey, or really 
> amazing margaritas.  And sometimes cigars, too.

Jessie is correct.  Some bring wine to the common meal to share with others.  
When we have visitors who are coming for a tour and join us at a community 
meal, I am sometime asked by the visitors what should they bring.  I generally 
say get wine for the cooks.

One change since Jessie left is that we no longer leave alcohol in the Common 
House.  As part of our "Teen Key Access to Commons House" policy, "No alcohol 
will be stored in the Commons House. Wine from suppers and alcohol from social 
events will be stored elsewhere."  This is due to the parents who, when they 
were teens, had problems with impulse control.

We also had the purchase of alcohol in the Community Life budget.  For Eno 
Commons Day 2005, after dinner, it was margaritas for the adults and root beer 
for the kids.  (Jessie will appreciate this item: the date of Eno Commons Day 
is the anniversary of when she moved into Eno Commons - the first move-in of 
Eno Commons!)

However, to keep the HOA dues from being raised when other costs went up, we 
cut the budget of our social events (among other items) and now our social 
event are now self-supporting (which means the purchase of alcohol is not in 
the Community Life 2006 budget).

As the original thread was "How do other cohousing communities deal with 
alcohol? at pot lucks, events and in community?", what problem are you trying 
to solve?

-Robert Heinich
 Eno Commons Cohousing
 Durham, NC