And extremely common one in my cultural (USA) context is that "being cold" can give you a "cold". According to common wisdom, being out in cold weather with wet hair and no hat will cause you to be infected with a rhinovirus.

The expression encapsulating this is "You'll catch your death!"

When travelling in Eastern Europe, I found a similar attitude towards drafts from a couple locals. The safest was to keep all windows and doors to the outside closed (in a room or car). Opening one portal was frowned on. Two or more (creating airflow) was taboo and would cause sickness.

He uses this new power to finish his book, get back together with his girlfriend, become rich, and eventually become president of the united states. Incidentally he gets in shape, establishes himself as high status at top tier social events, learns many new languages, and sleeps with a bunch of women.

How would it work if everyone had this power?

Doesn't being rich require that others be poor?

Only one person can become president at a time.

Doesn't being at the top tier of social events (or anything) mean that there needs to be sub tiers?

"Sleeps with a bunch of women": this seems to answer the above problems. Humans would be so busy "sleeping" with each other they'd have little time or use for money, politics, or meaningless social gatherings. Food would still be important. I'd like to think art would be too. Sex, food, and transformative experiences. A return to the animal kingdom. That makes me almost hopeful.

But, I have this all wrong, don't I. I'm going back to the sequences now....

It's not that hard to kill most people, but it's usually pretty hard to kill someone without getting caught.

You could look at the cost of alcohol as the price you pay to enter a social setting. If you were expected to consume some beverage, and they were all priced the same but exorbitantly, what would you do?

It has not been my experience that someone who doesn't drink stands out in any social setting that I would consider important. If you're getting blank or worse stares, it may be your delivery or it may be you need new social settings.

My recommendation would be to use the question as a platform to engage the questioner and others around. Tell a funny anecdote. Expound on your rationalist beliefs and how they relate to alcohol. Say you don't enjoy, then share what you do enjoy.

Be truthful and earnest and you'll go far if you're amongst the right people.

I've never been good at motivating to exercise on my own. I have been successful by becoming part of a group, like a studio or a team or a dojo. Developing social relationships around exercise helps me.

I also realized I enjoy physical contact and now gravitate towards martial arts.