What could a phrase like アルコールはダメなんだ possibly mean?


The phrase アルコールはダメなんだ is from a manga I read, in which a guy responds to his
friend when being asked if he wants a beer. He appears not to be into alcohol,
even goes so far to say that "I don't like the taste, nor is there any
occasion for me to drink".

I'm not sure what possible meanings that phrase could have though. Literally,
it'd be "Alcohol is not good", and it could be reasonably thought of as
"Alcohol isn't good for your health" (in which case he might be advising his
friend not to drink).

**I'm curious whether there's a possibility for it to mean "I'm not good with
alcohol" > "I can't drink".** After all, this seems to be an example of the
various ambiguous uses of "wa", in which the topic isn't necessarily
grammatically tied to the modifying phrase that follows.




It means "I'm not good with alcohol" or "I don't like alcohol". Of course it
can also mean "Alcohol is not good (for your health)" and "Alcohol is
prohibited (in this event)", depending on the context. In general, ～がダメだ can
mean "to be not good at ～" or "not to like ～". For example you can say
サッカーはダメです, 彼は英語がダメです, etc.




It means "I'm not good with alcohol" or "I don't like alcohol". Of course it
can also mean "Alcohol is not good (for your health)" and "Alcohol is
prohibited (in this event)", depending on the context. In general, ～がダメだ can
mean "to be not good at ～" or "not to like ～". For example you can say
サッカーはダメです, 彼は英語がダメです, etc.

