I am not a huge fan of situational comedies on television but over the years there have been a few that I have really enjoyed. Having lived in both the United Kingdom and the United
States my favorite sitcoms represent a mix from both countries. They include The Phil Silvers Show (CBS 1955-1959), The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (BBC 1976-1979), Yes Minister (BBC 1980-1988), Only Fools and Horses (BBC 1981-2003), and Seinfeld (NBC 1989-1998). As with most television series I have my favorite episodes. In the case of Seinfeld an episode that I really enjoyed was the one titled “The Soup Nazi“. If you are a Seinfeld fan you know this episode. Kramer has discovered a new soup carry-out restaurant in the neighborhood and tells Jerry, George, and Elaine about it. However, the owner is somewhat temperamental and has a precise protocol for ordering soup which if not followed will result in refusal of service. Hence he is referred to as “The Soup Nazi”. When George receives his soup he complains about the fact that he did not receive bread with his order. After some back and forth between George and The Soup Nazi the latter grabs the soup from George, refunds his money, and tells him “No Soup for You”. Elaine later suffers the same fate.

Well, I had my own “No Soup for You” experience lately, except that in my case it was “No Beer for You”. You see, last month I was diagnosed with diverticulitis, a bacterial infection of the colon. As part of my treatment I was prescribed a twenty-day course of an antibiotic called Metronidazole (Flagyl). When prescribing it my family doctor told me that I had to abstain from beer while taking this medication. I looked at him incredulously. He knew I liked beer. I thought he was having me on. “Are you serious?” I asked. He nodded and said “Yes I am”. And with that I knew he was. He told me that I would probably experience vomiting if I drank alcohol while taking this medication. Curious, I did my own research on the drug when I got home and found that “drinking alcohol within 24 hours of taking metronidazole increases your risk of side effects. Potential life-threatening side effects from this combination include blood pressure changes, rapid heart rate, and liver damage.” And one of the more common side effects of drinking alcohol was severe nausea and, yes, vomiting. So there it was – twenty days with no beer.

So what was it like to go twenty days without beer? Overall, it was not as difficult as I thought. I did not go to any bars during my beer hiatus, but did go to a number of events where alcohol was served. I attended a couple of high school graduation parties and a 50th birthday celebration. People were drinking beer and it did not particularly bother me. I satisfied myself with water. I am now on a high fiber diet so lots of water is essential.

There were, however, some occasions when I did miss being able to have a beer. One  was coming home from the office and having a couple of beers before dinner. One of my summer time rituals is to come home from work, sit on the front stoop , and enjoy a couple of beers. I do not do this every day; it all depends on what time I get home, what our evening plans are, and of course the weather. But when I do it I really enjoy it. I typically have two beers. It is very much my ‘alone time’. I sit there, often reflecting upon my day, and watch the world go by. Not that much of the world goes by my house. It is mainly cars going up and down our street. But there is the occasional jogger, dog walker, or mom walking her kids. And if one of our neighbors happens to be in their front yard or arriving home from work I get a chance to catch up with them.

There was also an out of town trip that I made – a two-day trip to Des Moines, IA to attend a conference. The conference had a couple of evening receptions that I attended where there was an open bar. I drank water and nibbled on the available hours d’oeuvres. However it was at the end of the day when I returned to my hotel that I really missed not being able to have a beer. One of favorite things to do when staying in a hotel is to have a nightcap at the hotel bar. This usually consists of a couple of beers. Part of the enjoyment is knowing that my hotel room is only a short elevator ride away. I also just happen to generally like hotel bars. I am not sure why exactly, but apparently I am not the only person as this piece by Regan Hoffman attests. To me the mix of people who frequent them is always interesting – folks from all different parts of the country (sometimes all different parts of the world) who are in town for a variety of reasons – a conference, a wedding, a vacation etc. I just enjoy sitting at hotel bars people watching and eavesdropping on the occasional conversation here and there. If I stay in a hotel for more than a couple of nights I usually get to know the bartenders. Last August I stayed four nights in the San Lisboa Hotel in Lisbon, Portugal and spent a lot of time chatting with the two young bartenders in the lobby bar. By the second evening they were slipping me complimentary tapas and providing a wealth of information about the city. So yes, those two nights in Des Moines were much less enjoyable that they could have been.

During my twenty day beer hiatus I did see a story in my Facebook feed that caught my eye. It was an article in the British tabloid the Daily Mail and was titled “What alcohol REALLY does to your body – and how quickly you can repair the damage”. Yes the word “really” REALLY was in all caps. On seeing the headline I thought I’d give it a read and see what benefits I might be enjoying from my alcohol-free binge. Sadly, however, most of the real benefits require that I give up alcohol for more than the twenty days that I did. So higher levels of energy and flawless skin are something I will have to live without. And to be honest it was a rather one sided article that said nothing of the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption.

My beer hiatus came to an end on July 3rd and that evening I had my first beer. We had friends over for dinner and they brought some beer with them. So after twenty days without a beer I popped open a can of Goose IPA brewed by the Goose Island Beer Company (yes I know Goose Island is owned by Anheuser-Busch). It tasted wonderful and I intentionally drank it slowly, savoring every sip. It sure tasted good to be back in the saddle.