While putting out the trash and recycling one morning, my neighbor approached, looked down at one of the bins overflowing with empty wine bottles and asked, "who's the boozer in your house?"

I was taken aback by the question at first, but then realized the dozens of empties (recycling is collected every 2 weeks) probably looked extreme relative to the average American household. Even with the explanation that my wife and I enjoy a different wine with dinner each night, my inquisitive neighbor looked at me with puritanical suspicion.

I started to wonder how he might have reacted had my recycle bin been filled with empty soda bottles or cans.

This exchange immediately brought back memories of being in the grocery check out line when another customer inevitably asks, "are you having a party?". This has happened often whenever my shopping cart includes six or more bottles of wine. Again, I doubt anyone would inquire about my social calendar if my basket contained an equivalent amount of soda.

Based on statistics cited in a recent New York Times article, Soda: A Sin We Sip Instead of Smoke?, the average per capita consumption of carbonated soft drinks in this country is 50 gallons per year. And soda is just the start, for another 13 gallons of other sugar-sweetened beverages is consumed annually based on statistics from the USDA. Meanwhile, Americans consume only 2.5 gallons of wine each year according to these same figures.

How is it that folks can question one's consumption of wine yet not even blink when the shopping cart or recycle bin is filled with cases or liters of soda and other sweetened drinks?

Don't get me wrong, I fully understand that drinking wine or any other alcoholic beverage in excess is hazardous to one's health. But Americans have yet to wake up to the fact that the over-consumption of soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks is creating health problems that most likely outweigh those caused by folks drinking too much wine. Unfortunately, I was unable to find statistics on beverage consumption at dinner, for it would be interesting to know what Americans, and especially families, drink during their evening meal.

However, I did find an interesting paper authored by Barry M. Popkin, Ph.D., who is a nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Popkin's paper sheds some light on daily beverage consumption patterns in the U.S. across different age groups. According to Popkin, adults in the U.S. consume an average 219 mL of alcohol each day, which comprises 8% of their total daily beverage intake.

Based on USDA statistics, 85% of the alcoholic beverages consumed during the period Pompkin studied was comprised of beer, with 9% coming from wine. If my math is correct, then adults in the US consumed a paltry 19.7 mL of wine daily. Compare that with the 977 mL of soda and fruit drinks drunk daily. Add another 616 mL for diet drinks. Yikes!

I think it may be time Americans started getting puritanical on soda and other sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.

Okay, that might be overreaching here, as I don't want to be responsible for encouraging soda confrontations at the recycle bin or check out line. A more constructive approach would be to offer your next door neighbor or fellow grocery customer a bottle of wine in place of their soda. With plenty of evidence suggesting wine is good for you, why not start converting folks? Our citizen's health and our country's future depend on it.

Convert to wine! Soda is for sinners!