I think the association can very strong. If you’re the sort of person who likes to relax with a beer, your mind is going to start associating the act, taste, environment of having a beer with the idea that there’s no more work to be done, that this is the feet-up time when you can start to have a laugh and have a chat.
(A bit like smoking and the act of taking some time out, breathing deeply, switching your mind off for a moment. The chemicals themselves aren’t anywhere near as important as the process. Just occurred to me that rolling and smoking a cigarette is one of those acts that people concentrate on in a way that’s thought as very good for you – “mindfulness” and all that.)
If others are drinking and the conversation is lively, that’s another thing that you can relax into and can sweep you along. I’ve found that even if I’m just drinking coke.