Dalek

As others have pointed out, the Beast is not alcohol itself, but being the desire for alcohol, the Beast (through the AV) is certainly the prime mover that would instigate its consumption. A key skill in the AVRT arsenal is "shifting", where we alternate between our point of view and that of the Beast. It can be useful to visualize the Beast in the bottle, so to speak, particularly in social situations such as you describe, and I don't see viewing alcohol as the devil's poison as incorrect.

Don't presume that such imagery will deter the Beast from its agenda in any way, however, which is a mistake some learn the hard way. Even if you see it as the devil's drink, the Beast is still going to want that alcohol. The idea in shifting is not to try and scare the Beast away with an imaginary skull and crossbones or other scarecrow, because the Beast won't be deterred, but rather to shift into our own right mind when the Beast pops up. You can't change the Beast's perception of alcohol, but you can certainly change your own perception of it, and see it both ways.

If the devil's drink imagery does the trick, by all means use it. When you get a chance, see if you can let the Beast out, though, and switch back and forth between how the Beast sees alcohol, and how you see it. Imagine actually drinking it, and allow yourself to feel the desire for the stuff. Some people will tell you that you shouldn't feel any desire, but don't worry, it won't hurt you. Do this a few times, switching back and forth between the Beast and yourself. After doing this a few times, it will be very easy to flip into your right mind when the Beast pops up "unannounced", without you planning it.