Although drinking seems to be a part of everyday culture these days, there are still some people who don’t drink alcohol. Bachelor in Paradise contestant Taylor Nolan is one of them.
In an interview with Refinery29, Taylor explained why she doesn’t drink. “The only time [I drank] was when I was 13. And I never even got fully drunk, I just got tipsy. And really didn’t like it. I didn’t like the position it put some of my friends in when they would get really drunk. I try to be really healthy in what I put into my body and making sure that it’s nourishing me in some way, and I find alcohol doesn’t do that at all. I also just feel like I’m already a young female who’s very physically weak and vulnerable to being taken advantage of in multiple different scenarios. I just like to stay level-headed and have clear rational judgement and just like control over my own decisions. I don’t ever want to weaken that by drinking.”
Aside from just not liking the taste of alcohol, she also doesn’t want to rely on it as a coping mechanism. “I find that a lot of people wanna get drunk or wanna drink to kind of escape someone or numb feelings that they don’t want to feel. And I just find other coping skills to deal with that,” she said
So how did that affect her time on The Bachelor and BIP, especially during the frequent champagne toasts? “They ask you before the group dates and the toasts and stuff what you want to drink, so when you sit down everyone has their drink, and I would always ask for a ginger beer, which is non-alcoholic,” Taylor explained. “At the end of the rose ceremony, they give everyone champagne. They would hand everyone champagne, and I would fake drink mine.”
Her relationship with Paradise costar Derek Peth hasn’t been affected by the fact that he drinks. “Everyone I’ve ever dated has drank. Most people in our society do so it’s not something I’m uncomfortable being around. I like to try to make sure whoever I am dating is at least drinking moderately and isn’t getting blacked out on a regular basis. [Laughs] I think that’s a good standard to have. He certainly drinks, and the first night actually he was very very drunk and I immediately did not like him. I was like, ‘Mm, not for me.’ And then the next day he came out and apologized to everyone, and he was super sweet about it all. Clearly, it was really out of character for him. Producers were like, ‘Is Derek okay? Derek needs to go to bed.’ It was very out of his character. I give him crap for it throughout the season.”
Taylor deserves snaps for staying sober on a show where alcohol is practically a contestant itself. It’s especially cool that she’s so willing to be real and transparent about it.