That’s Not Beer

We were invited to a house warming party the other week and very nice it was too. It was held mainly in the garden and although it was raining, our hosts had provided plenty of shelter from the inclement weather although it was still quite warm. A good turnout of locals too and the afternoon come evening event was really lovely. A great community builder.

Everything You Want

Our hosts had gone to town with their hospitality. There was a BBQ, full choice of salad and later either a curry or chilli with rice. I had a go at a hot dog and later the curry and rice. All scrumptious and very bad for you. Well, it’s only one day. As well as food, there was plenty of alcohol, beer, lager, wine, spirits etc.

Social Anxiety

You could help yourself to the drinks, so I found myself a tin of beer and sat down with some of the local menfolk to have a chat. I’m not the best person, socially speaking, to have a chat with anyone. I tend to run out of steam very fast and prefer to listen rather than talk. I thought, well after a couple of beers I’ll be fine and chilled enough to hold my own in any conversation that might arise.

Time Flies

Before I knew it, a good few hours had passed and I was thoroughly enjoying the time. I thought it must be the alcohol. Everyone else seemed to be getting along swimmingly and the chats ranged from talk about sports cars to football to gardening and everything in between. I noticed too that the beer wasn’t having too much effect on me. Whereas, some of the other guys were getting a little louder with the help of the cider etc.

Evening

The day wore on into the evening and by 9:00 pm there were still a few people there including myself. The later talk seemed to be mainly focused on sport and football in particular. It’s not my subject, but it was fun listening to the now raised voices arguing over who’s the best header of a ball to the best goalkeeper Wales ever had.

Still Standing

I was feeling pleased with myself that my speech was still coherent, no slurring of words and I thought I would treat myself to another beer. I started to think that this must be about my 5th or 6th tin of ale and I should really make it my last. That’s when one of the guys came over to me and said, ‘…have you been drinking the no-alcohol beer all day?’ Then it dawned on me, that was my 6th can of alcohol free beer. No wonder I wasn’t slurring or struggling to walk straight.

No Hangover

Of course, I felt a bit silly and answered with something along the lines of, ‘oh yes, I didn’t feel like a real beer today, I’ve a bit of a headache.’ At the same time I felt as though I had cheated myself. Oh well, you live and learn, even at my age. At least I didn’t have a bad head the next morning.