Beer. A drink that has been part of the world’s history since possibly 9500 B.C., when cereal was first farmed in Egypt. There aren’t many who could turn down the offer of a refreshing, frosty brew, hence why it has become such a staple in our society. Many people start drinking from age 16 through 20, and it develops into an activity for social interaction. When people have parties, it usually isn’t held without some form of alcohol. As entertaining as a night of drinking may be, what’s the option for those who oppose getting drunk, those who can’t afford a hangover the next morning, or those who can’t drink for medical purposes? In comes the creation of non-alcoholic beer. These kinds of beer, the most popular being “O’Doul’s,” give a person the option of enjoying the taste of a beer as well as the sociality of a drinking environment.
Many people see O’Doul’s as a drink for those who can’t handle a real beer, meaning one with an average 5% alcohol content. Since O’Doul’s only has 0.5% alcohol, it is considered non-alcoholic, and is the obvious choice for those avoiding alcohol. In a social setting, such as a college bar or house party, people would think you’re truly joking if you asked for an O’Doul’s. They’d think, “What person under the age of 40 would honestly drink that? What’s the point? Why can’t he handle a regular beer? He must be such a lightweight.” People jump to these conclusions based on nothing but ignorant assumptions, not knowing any of the multiple reasons that said man would rather have a non-alcoholic beer.
There are a number of situations where a person could choose a non-alcoholic beer over a regular. To start, the person could choose to avoid a potentially head-splitting hangover. One of O’Doul’s commercials brings us to a young woman waking up in a hotel from what seems to be a very long night. She looks flustered, disheveled, and confused as to what happened last night. After getting queasy from the sight of her empty beer bottles scattered throughout the bathroom, she walks into the next room. After a pull of the light bulb’s chain, she encounters a heavyset man lying in bed with nothing but a pair of whitey-tighties on, beckoning her to lie down. No matter how many beers that girl drank to make that guy look good enough to sleep with, the whole situation would have been averted if she were drinking non-alcoholic beers all night long.
One major factor of this decision is the aspect of physical health. Health issues are major reasons to avoid the ingestion of alcohol. Cirrhosis of the liver is caused by repeated damage of liver cells, followed by the formation of scar tissue. This process ultimately leads to a loss of liver function. Your body processes and breaks down alcohol in the liver, and if you’re ingesting more alcohol than your liver can process, you will start damaging and destroying liver cells. If a person is diagnosed with Cirrhosis of the liver, there is already damage and scarring. Therefore, drinking alcohol would increase the amount of damage to your liver and ultimately end in liver failure.
Mental health could also play an important role in the preference of non-alcoholic beer. A friend, who works in aiding those with disabilities, recently told me of how she watches six men, who all have Down syndrome and behavioral issues. Whenever these men were in the mood for drinking, she said, they were only allowed to drink O’Doul’s since it is a non-alcoholic beer. If the men were to drink regular beer, the potential of them acting out or causing harm to themselves or others would significantly increase. Therefore, it is clear that the non-alcoholic beers would be a much safer choice.
The makers of non-alcoholic beers know that there are select handfuls of beer consumers who would rather have an O’Doul’s over a Budweiser; why else would they continue to make their product? Producers must assume that those who choose non-alcoholic beers over regulars are looking to enjoy the refreshing taste of a cold beer without the side effects of alcohol. They must also assume that the consumer drinks O’Doul’s at a party in order to be social and show a common interest with beer drinkers around him/her. If a person were 21 or older, at a party, sitting around without a drink in his/her hand, other courteous party-goers would offer to get you a drink after a few minutes of small-talk. A drink in the hand is a ticket to socializing with those around you, and that’s what producers think when they continue to put O’Doul’s on the market.
Beer has developed so much in our society that Keystone’s are now our keystones. They give us reason to socialize and interact with those around us. For those who wish to make new friends, but don’t wish for pounding headaches the day after, there is, and always will be, an O’Doul’s waiting for you at the bar.
