Word of Wisdom Part One

A while back, one of my roommates hosted a ward progressive dinner. The people assigned to our house were mostly Interns from the Salt Lake area. The interns were enthusiastic about their temporary work assignments and the conversation turned to Happy Hour and the appropriate drinks for a Mormon. One talked about that even water was suspicious because it looked like vodka (not many people down vodka at Happy Hour, but no one called him on it). Another replied, all I dare drink is milk because it’s the only thing that can’t be mistaken for an alcoholic drink. The group nodded their head in agreement and one told us that an LDS apostle only drank milk at get-togethers where there was alcohol.
Needless to say, I’ve been thinking of that episode off and on since it happened. Now, the Word of Wisdom is very important. The underlying principle, that we are masters over our body and aren’t mastered by a substance is key. There’s a reason we’re asked about the Word of Wisdom to enter the temple. The blessings we are promised are special and adhering to the Word of Wisdom does protect us.
However, at the same time, do we sometimes place more value over the Word of Wisdom because it separates us from other religious groups than we do commandments that may be more important?
To go back to the milk drinking interns, there’s many holes in their theory. We pointed out a couple during the discussion (most alcoholic drinks aren’t served with ice or straws ). Rather than overthink the issue, I'd just like to enjoy my beverage of choice. If someone has a question about it, just ask (like Diet Coke for example)