Alcohol relationships

Have you ever had a beer at Starbucks or a whiskey and coke at Dunkin' Donuts? No. You cannot even order a Bailey's and coffee at those chain coffee shops. It occurred to me how strange it is that you can order alcohol in nearly every cafe or coffee shop in La Paz. I drank a beer at Cafe Alexander the other day while others around me enjoyed smoothies or lattes, and I have seen people drinking wine there before. Cafe Alexander is essentially the Starbucks of Bolivia: a franchised chain that you can find in just about any neighborhood in La Paz. It seems that alcohol is a more integral part of the culture here, or at least it is more accepted than in the southern United States.

I wonder why you can order a beer at a commercial coffee shop in La Paz and not in the US. Bolivia is historically Catholic and a very religious nation, as are the southern US states. Alcohol consumption is also a large part of southern American culture, but I think it may be a bit more taboo in the US than in Bolivia. I wonder if relationships with alcohol are healthier in Bolivia because alcohol is more ubiquitous and consumption is not limited to bars and dinner restaurants, or if the relationship is less healthy because you can drink alcohol at any time of day with ease. At the minimum, I think that the alcohol is less taboo in Bolivia, and that is positive for creating healthy relationships with alcohol.