A Cool, Dry Place.

Byline: EDITOR: ALEXANDRA KOTUR

When friends abstain, cocktail chatter calls for sensitivity and support, advises William Norwich.

All your friends seem to be going to rehab these days. What, then, is the new etiquette concerning sobriety and social life?

Well, being sympathetic to anyone reentering the merry fray after a restorative "time out," I advise avoiding greetings such as "How bad was your bottom; did you see Britney ?" and, because it is polite to respect anonymity, "Do you go to AA? My ex does." A gracious "Fabulous to see you and looking so well" is the chicer salutation, then route conversation to some timely topic--the presidential election, Marc Jacobs' s fall collection. If the media scandale surrounding your friend's problem is like an elephant in the living room, whisper a commiserative "Isn't the press awful? They hounded Jackie all the days of her life." And then excoriate the press; this always works up an appetite.

As host, if you prepare your meal with any alcohol or wine, tell your sober guest prior, in private not to embarrass, and provide an alternative. At the table, do not remove a guest's wineglass; the imbalance would only draw attention to the non-imbibing. Furthermore, sway conversation away from drinkers' telling the sober any of the following, even if meant well: "Can't you have ...