I’m a firm believer that every bloke needs a regular night out with his mates. Ideally for a pint of ale, but we’ll park that bit for a sec…. Life’s busy, we all have work, family, DIY jobs that never end and without even noticing it the weeks can roll into months without seeing your pals properly. And for us fellas, that silence can get heavy.
It’s no secret that us blokes aren’t always the best at talking, I’ve banged on about it enough eh!? But the stats back it up… around a third of UK men say they don’t have any close friends, and more than 40% rarely or never talk about their mental health. That’s mad when you think about it, because connection is one of the best tools we’ve got. I did a bit of Googling and found that the Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the longest-running studies in the world, showed that strong social bonds can literally halve your risk of depression. In short: your pols (that’s Baddesley-speak for mates) matter.
That’s where Thirsty Thursday comes in…. At the age of 16 my best mate and myself would pop up to the local social club, which at the time allowed junior members, this membership allowed you to consume beer on the premises. This ruling wasn’t without limits, no spirits and only one drink at a time… Not a problem, we were light weights who would be making calls down the big white telephone if we’d have more than two or three pints. Also Matt was still in Sixth Form and I was on an apprentice wage which is the next level up from a slaves wage… So we couldn’t really afford much!
In those early days, every Wednesday was ours. We’d meet up for a couple of pints, share what was happening in our worlds, watch the football, and play a few games of pool or snooker. As the beer flowed and the evening rolled on, the serious conversation always gave way to big belly laughs, the kind that made everything else fade away for a while. As the years went by and life started to change for us all, our night shifted to Thursdays, but the heart of it stayed the same. We’d swap stories about work, share advice to help through the struggles, and celebrate the small wins that kept us going.
It wasn’t long before others would join us, at one stage a group of around 10 – 12 would meet up to “To forget about life for a while” Thank you Billy Joel for that one! It was such a laugh! Covid would eventually come along to try and destroy this with it’s zoom nights out in and E-meet up’s! But not Thirsty Thursday! We partook in the video calls while we had to but as soon as those restrictions were lifted we were back out! Back out on a Thursday, talking, laughing and listening. Not to mention keeping the doors open at our local pubs!
We’re a smaller crowd these days but the fundamentals are still there! We know that every Thursday someone will be out at 8 pm, we’ll have a pint in one of the local pubs, and we’ll vent if we need to. We’ve all got families and stressful jobs now, not like 23 years ago when our only worry was making it into school or work on time the next day. These days, that couple of hours on a Thursday night is a lifeline and it’s something we all look forward to through the week. Thank goodness for Thirsty Thursday.
There was recently a news report on a group of guys who had been doing the same, meeting up on a Thursday for a pint for 56 years!! That’s the goal and we’re half way there! The bond these guys had created was an inspiration and I’m proud to say, we have that! I’ll include the link to the article so check it out once you’ve read all my other blogs! Ha!
I want to drag you back to some statistics in the hope that, if you don’t already, you need a regular guys night or two every week! Meeting with your closest mates twice a week can unlock some real health benefits, but only 40% of men manage it once a week… These benefits include lower stress levels, reduced risk of depression and anxiety, a sense of belonging and a longer life span, something that the pols I mentioned are proving! So when I say, it’s more than just a pint, science is literally backing me!
So here’s my nudge to you, if you haven’t got a Thirsty Thursday of your own (or Friday, or whatever night works) with your pols, maybe it’s time to start one. It doesn’t have to be a pub, it could be a curry, a five-a-side kick about, even just a walk, but make it regular and make it non-negotiable. Because the pints are nice, sure, but it’s the people that matter.
That said, I’ll always endorse the pint, not just for the taste, but because our pubs need us. They’re closing at an alarming rate, and every time we show up for a round we’re helping keep those doors open. For me and my lot, it’s simple: Thursday night, 8 pm, someone will always be there. We laugh, we moan, we put the world to rights, and we leave lighter than when we walked in. After 23 years, I can’t imagine life without it, and I don’t want to. So here’s to the next 23.
I reiterate… Thank goodness for Thirsty Thursday.
Take it easy!
TM
Check out these legends: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgj4pl878pwo
