You might be programmed differently. I had a similar experience where I didn't start really drinking until I moved to Tokyo. Before that I tried for 2-3 months

You might be programmed differently. I had a similar experience where I didn't start really drinking until I moved to Tokyo. Before that I tried for 2-3 months when I was 25, hated the taste, got headaches, stopped. A friend had me try some sweet cocktails which I enjoyed but not enough to drink regularly. Moving to Toyko at 33 though introduced me to a different culture of drinking. AFAICT there's very little negative association with drinking in Japan Vs the USA. In the USA drinking, while socially acceptable is generally considered a vice. That doesn't seem true in Japan. As just one example the anime One Piece which is arguably targeted at young boys often has scenes of celebrating by drinking. In any case, after many years here I do feel the peer pressure to socialize by drinking. People feel you aren't really participating if you don't. That doesn't mean I'll always drink. If I'm not feeling well or I drank too much the day before I might abstain but I'm consciously aware of the pressure / expectation. It helps no one drives so there's none of those issues.