Former LaCucaracha Armadillos who graduated from 1980 through 1990 held a reunion this past Saturday night at the Gomez Mexican Food Restaurant. Many attending said the event was saved by the legal availability of alcohol at the cash bar.

1984 graduate, Steve Brown, arrived at the gathering and immediately felt that old familiar awkwardness when he was unable to spot anyone he knew or recognized while strolling amongst the throng of former Armadillo classmates. Thankfully, Brown found the bar and quickly downed a beer. The alcohol hit Brown’s bloodstream and soon one of alcohol’s more pleasant side effects, not caring about anything, began to take place.

“I spotted this chick I used to pass in the halls,” said Brown, “and just said ‘hello.’ She clearly had a couple of beers already so the next thing you know, we’re talking like actual middle-aged adults who vaguely know each other.”

Alcohol, primarily known as a social lubricant, also has other side effects that come in handy for events such as high school reunions, weddings, office parties, concerts, funerals and first dates. Those side effects include: a loosening of morals, an increase in bravery, becoming more talkative, a lessening of anxiety and the power to make people seem more attractive and interesting than they actually are.  However, it is a fine line between the good effects of alcohol and the somewhat more negative effects such as loudness, obnoxiousness, general idiocy and death – in a spectacular variety of ways.

For the most part, alcohol’s good side was on display Saturday night. “Sure,” said Angela Shifflet, class of 1988, “at first I was anchored to a table fearing for my social life. Certain groups started to form and someone I went up to had absolutely no idea who I was – he didn’t even pretend to recognize me – so it started to feel exactly like high school. But then, I saw the bar. A couple of gin and tonics later and I was talking to people I didn’t recognize or remember. The best part was, they were drinking too so they didn’t care about anything either.”