It’s been a long winter with two of Australia’s most populated states stuck in lockdown. With NSW finally free, and VIC close behind, pub season is well and truly back on baby. If the thought of finally leaving the nest and hitting the bars makes you a little nervous, though, you’re not alone.
We’ve all basically forgotten to socialise, and, if you’re like me, a mere whiff of alcohol is enough to make you tiddly — so drinking after lockdown is a whole issue.
We’re not a country that’s particularly used to taking a break from the pub, so it’s essential that we have a game plan for our return, so as not to make complete fools of ourselves. Mainly because we live in an age where all our mates have phones on their cameras and will never let you live an embarrassing moment down.
1. Practice your conversation starters
Before lockdown, I was one of the most social people you were likely to meet. After months of living alone and only being able to see my boy and my one friend who lived within my five kilometres, I honestly don’t know if I remember how to hold a casual conversation.
I’ve just got one word to say to you: flashcards. There’s no shame in needing prompts after being isolated for so long.
2. Watch your grog percentage
Not that we should ever go too crazy on our alcohol consumption, but when drinking after lockdown we really have to re-evaluate how much we can handle.
Still, it’s weird to be out with friends and not have a drink in your hand, so what are we to do? Well, opt for non-alcoholic spirits, duh. Before you start crying out that it’s not the same, you should check out Lyre’s range here — you won’t even taste the difference. Oh, and did we mention it’s low cal and vegan friendly, too?
3. Slowly ease out of loungewear
Don’t throw away those cosy matching sets too soon. Just because we can leave the house, it doesn’t mean we can no longer wear stretchy pants. And only a psycho would give up the sneakers. Let’s just tackle one new thing at a time here.
4. Make a no photos rule
Remember that point I made in the intro about friends being merciless and how easy it is to record evidence of foolishness? Take your little happy snaps at the beginning of the meet-up, then put them away for everyone’s sake. You know, unless you need to Google a new topic to talk about.
