Moderation Drinking: NON ALCOHOLIC BEERS

Now that we are at the threshold of summer with Memorial day just a few weeks away I wanted to talk about using non alcoholic…

Host: Andy Whiteside
Co-host: Sam Meader

Transcript

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Andy Whiteside: Hello, everyone! Welcome to Episode 6 of moderation drinking. I'm your host, Andy White side, Sam. It's been a couple of weeks. How are you.

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Sam: Good, great to be back with you.

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Andy Whiteside: So that's the voice of Sam Meters. Sam is down in Folly Beach, South Carolina. We're just chit chatting about his rental business it is that time of year.

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Sam: Yes, yeah, we've

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Sam: we've had, probably where you are, too, in North Carolina some record setting heat last week. So certainly felt like summer, both in weather and activity around here. And that's sort of one of the things we're gonna be talking about on the podcast today, drinking during the summer.

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Andy Whiteside: Yeah, let's let's jump into that. I'm gonna share your blog

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Andy Whiteside: that you wrote shared with me. So the title of it is non alcoholic beers and so I've had some exposure to this over the past 2 weeks I've been at conferences one in Miami and one in Las Vegas, and I've seen some drunken idiots, especially in Las Vegas.

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Andy Whiteside: I've also seen a couple of my compatriots opt for a non alcoholic beer which caught me off guard. I mean, I'm in this industry, and I still don't expect it to happen, and I saw it happen a couple of times? Why did you why did you write this blog.

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Sam: Well, in general. I'm I'm from my own experience, being having years of O over drinking. Summer was a time of over consumption, you know, more of a relaxed time at the beach, whether you're on a boat or at the barbecue

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Sam: always reaching for a cold when it seems like I was doing that more often than not. But it it applies to every setting, too, whether you're at a a professional conference or out with friends or a backyard barbecue.

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Sam: Non alcoholic beers are probably the number one or non alcoholic drinks. Are probably the number one tool you can use to drink in moderation in part, because you have the appearance that you're still drinking. There's no social awkwardness. Still, to this day there still appears to be, you know, stigma associated with people who who don't drink. And so if you're having a mock tail or non alcoholic beer.

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Sam: the world doesn't need to know. There you are, sipping something, but you're just not getting a as buzz, and that that's been a great tool for me to help dial back my drinking, so that that's goes hand in hand with the season for me.

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Andy Whiteside: So it's okay. So a couple of things, one one of the people I noticed was, I knew they don't drink. But then I saw them with a corona.

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Andy Whiteside: and then apparently it's a non-alcohol, Corona, which I didn't know existed. I wish I would have tried one

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Andy Whiteside: just to see

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Andy Whiteside: I I will say, and I don't know exactly what all you're gonna cover here. I don't think you're to cover specifically what I'm gonna ask here, but I do have a friend of mine that drinks non alcohol beers. And he said, There's kind of an aftertaste. Is that is that factual? Or is that just his brain.

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Sam: I just like the the, the

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Sam: quote, unquote, real beers. There's going to be some beers that give up that you don't like because of their flavor or their after taste. And I'm going to review several of them, real, quick on this podcast and they're all on my website, I did little videos for each of them last year on these. But I think you're right. There are some non alcoholic beers that I didn't like of particular brands that I really like their regular alcohol beer. So it it really just depends on the the brew process.

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Sam: But a as a tactical measure. You talk about somebody, you know, reaching forward at a at a conference

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Sam: whether you rotate it in with regular alcoholic beers or replace it for me.

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Sam: You know my bio rhythm here, living on the beach. We got a lot of chores throughout the day with all of our Airbnb's, but usually at the end of the day I'm at the beach, and then I'm grilling, and for me it, you know, used to be just a cooler full of beer on the beach. Consume it, then start the barbecue, consume it

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Sam: for me. I'm down to just a couple of beers, or whatever, and I'll I. Now. The only thing I'm drinking with my barbecue is non alcoholic beer. I still feel like I'm enjoying the whole process. I'm outside like the heat and can have a cold one, but it's non alcoholic. So it's not compounding on what I may have consumed at the beach. But I and I very often

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Sam: one of my own personal things. If I'm really thirsty or I've had a hard work day, you have that first beer for me. I know I used to tend to pound it, drink it really fast, and so a lot of times. Now, if I'm in that mood, I'll order a non alcoholic beer to start with, simply because I'll get that quick drinking out of the way. And I found that to be a very, a a great way to limit my consumption.

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Andy Whiteside: Yeah, long time ago someone said to me, you know you're you're mowing the grass. You're doing something out of the yard. You're hot, and you're sweating, and you've you've released a lot of fluids from your body. And first thing you want is a beer like salty beer. And it. It hits you twice as hard, especially when you gozzle it that way.

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Sam: Yeah, for sure. So rotating them out is a great way, and just kind of at the headline Le level. You know, there's a lot of trends in society now

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Sam: that are leaning towards consuming less alcohol, and the brewers have caught on just from the business model. We've talked about dry January, the popularity of that people drinking less. The millennials are kind of leading the charge here. They're the demographic group where

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Sam: they become a lot more health conscious and are consuming less alcohol than prior generations. And so from a business model, the breweries have really tooled up to cater to this increasing market. And they've done so with new technologies and methods that

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Sam: are are brewing for taste and head and happiness in a way that they never used to decades ago with the limited selection. It was really kind of the leftover swell that they took the alcohol out of just to put something out there. But now they're really brewing for taste.

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Sam: And a another interesting thing I was reading on some of these trends is that you talk about your friend having a non alcohol beer at at the so at the the business function. They did a study that.

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Sam: They. They had a sample group of people who

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Sam: had a drink, a beer, a regular alcoholic beer.

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Sam: and a group drinking non alcoholic beer, and they tested their dopamine levels in their brain when they were having that first drink. And that's the sort of

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Sam: pleasure center where you feel good. And dopamine gets released.

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Sam: And they said the dopamine levels didn't change, whether you had an alcoholic drink or a non alcoholic drink. Your brain associates that that consumption and taste

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Sam: with pleasure. And so the dopamine gets released. So I I think you still get a a feel good without the buzz.

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Andy Whiteside: Yeah, well, that would be some really interesting science to watch. And I wonder if that's because the association previously with that that liquid

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Andy Whiteside: got you feeling that way? Or is it truly some type of something in your body that releases it?

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Sam: I think it's more like Pavlov's dog. I'm gonna drink this. I'm gonna feel good. You know your your history is, if it's a real bill. I feel good, but the brain doesn't know it when the taste hits it. You're anticipating it. And the taste has really come a long way with the with these it it really does a lot of them taste like the real deal.

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Sam: and you know, next to, you know, the first round, last call, challenge, coin. The non alcohol beers have been my best tool to moderate my my drinking.

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Andy Whiteside: Yeah, for sure. And I will tell you this, Corona, this guy got I didn't notice until I. So I had to look really closely, because again he doesn't drink, and I've known him for years and years and years decade plus and then he ordered a corona as it caught me off guard and then I had to look really closely to see it was the non alcohol version of it.

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Andy Whiteside: Yeah, I think we've covered a bunch of this let's jump into. What's this first one here.

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Sam: Yeah. So here, here's some of the brands. So I've I've tried a lot of them on on my journey here, so I've kind of went in order of my favorites. There's a brand out there, called Closs Tower. It's a German beer.

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Sam: and it's it's non alcoholic. It by far has the best

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Sam: to me. Taste like it really literally tastes like an alcoholic beer. It's got a great head. I absolutely love it. I'll I'll put it in my fridge whenever I can find it. But the limiting factor here it's very hard to find. Sometimes even total wine doesn't have it. Publix is a supermarket near me. They have it sporadically. They'll have it for 3 months, and I can't get it for 2 months. So when I see it, I tend to buy a lot of it because it is so good.

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Sam: a a close second is another German brand called becks.

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Sam: and they it. It really is almost as good as crosshower.

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Sam: But it's just. It's not as good. Both of them have a little skunky smell to it, which I really like in a German beer

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Sam: but both from a taste and the the head and the poor perspective it it's the real deal. So those are probably my one and 2 top choices.

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Andy Whiteside: Well, that's the first one. What's it? Can you give me a beer that it tastes kinda like.

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Sam: it's funny that you asked. They. They both kind of taste like Heineken, which is the third one down we're going to talk about in a second. And they they both are at that end of the spectrum a year, our European taste to it.

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Sam: And Heineken, I'll say. Heineken 0

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Sam: by far

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Sam: has

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Sam: the exact

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Sam: taste of its big brother alcoholic version. You put a regular Heineken and a non alcoholic Heineken side by side. You literally can't tell the difference. And this is probably one of the ones I drink the most because it is ubiquitous. You can find it at most restaurants, most supermarkets on the airplane in Mexico. I've done a fair amount of travel in the last 2 years, and Heineken 0 is everywhere. So this is probably

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Sam: the one I don't really have to try to find it. It's at every store, every restaurant. And it's it's a really good good option. The other 2, in my opinion, are just a little bit better, but they're harder to find.

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Andy Whiteside: Sam. Does the does the day come when you find these things in a venue, a non alcoholic beer in a venue machine somewhere.

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Sam: I. You know it's weird. I always thought about that, because they still have to sort of check your Id when you ring them up at the store. It it comes up oh, and associate is on the way. So the most of the world and the bar codes and everything don't know how to classify this. It's still classified as an alcoholic beverage, even though it doesn't have any alcohol. So I'm not sure we get to that point. But it sure would be nice.

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Sam: That ha! And be able to go and get a coke Pepsi, or one of these hine zeros out of the same machine.

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Andy Whiteside: Right.

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Sam: And then the next one here on the list is is, and the Ipas, in my opinion, have been a harder nut to crack from the alcoholic non alcoholic side. There is a brewery out there called athletica. They only brew non alcoholic beers, and not none of theirs have made the list. I'm not sure why they're they're they're really, that's all they do. But I just don't like the taste of theirs again getting back to regular alcoholic beers.

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Sam: There's some I like and some I don't like. Some of this comes down to personal preference. But Sam Adams, as far as making a non alcoholic, Ipa. They're just the haze is really really good. It has a very, very thick head.

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Sam: This one has a little fruit in it, and I'm always putting a lemon in my regular ipa. So it satisfies that. And for whatever reason I'm always drinking this. When I have fish, I grill a lot of salmon, and to me this is a great pairing with fish. Can be a little easier to find than the first 2 cloth holler and and back, so that one I have around quite a bit as well.

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Andy Whiteside: Well, 2 things, one. I gotta try this one and 2. I gotta put a limit in my Ipa.

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Sam: Yes, gotta try. That's just my thing, as you know. My my wife calls it the foo foo foo foo side of me, but I I like a lemon in the Ipa. Yes.

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Andy Whiteside: Huh? Interesting. I gotta try it alright O duls versus bud 0, and cores light.

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Sam: Yes, okay. So

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Sam: in the summertime I tend to drink more out of cans. They're safer in the cooler on the beach for obvious reasons than glass. And so my experience summertime drinking prior to getting into moderation and becoming sober for a period of time. The only thing I was drinking was cores light the silver bullet.

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Sam: The mountains get blue when it gets ice cold. I always thought that was a nice trick, so I had been looking for something that when brew, when chilled ice cold kind of tastes like, you know, the cores light.

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Sam: And so, oh, duels is something. I I tried years ago that came out in 1,990. That was the anheuser bush.

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Sam: Kind of

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Sam: first commercial success with a non alcoholic beer. But there's been so many new ones coming out. So the first thing I tried was the cores edge, which is the the same manufacturer, brewer of the cores light that I like, and I have to say to your point when we started this, there is an aftertaste in that it's almost sour, and I was so. I was super disappointed that the the cores.

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Sam: my favorite

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Sam: regular beer

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Sam: didn't have an a non alcoholic option that did it for me, and I would say same thing with the bud. 0. It actually tastes better than the coarse edge, but the the flavor does fall a little flat, so my ice cold beer in a can on the beach in the cooler is Oulz. I like that one the best. It's been around the longest. And

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Sam: that that that is a

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Sam: when chilled. It's got to be super cold. It really it really does taste like the the real deal.

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Andy Whiteside: You know. Put this in perspective 1990, I guess, when O. Duals came out, what you said.

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Andy Whiteside: that's been a long time, and I've yet to try once. This probably says a lot about where I'm at with this whole, this whole option of non alcoholic beers. However, I do wanna bring up this

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Andy Whiteside: in your view, your perspective of non alcoholic or less alcoholic less alcohol beer. Where where do? Where do light beers fit into this mix

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Andy Whiteside: versus what I would call full throttle.

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Sam: Well, you know I

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Sam: my my heavy consumption was always cores light, so I liked the the lighter kind of what I'll call the loggers, but on the Ipa side I I like a real heavy hoppy. You know they're they're almost double the alcohol content. And so I I know people have chosen to drink light beer because there's less alcohol content. And for the calories but I I think across the board, and you you mentioned this earlier, it really comes down to taste

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Sam: and and what you like, and I want to mention this, too, that both the O'doull's and the Heineken get extra points because they are.

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Sam: You can seem to always find them in a bottle or a can. So you have the choice

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Sam: which is what I like. I only take, you know, cans to the beach, but sometimes I like a cold beer out of the fridge, out of a bottle.

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Andy Whiteside: Right.

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Sam: And I guess that you know the the key takeaway to all of this is

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Sam: the taste has come a long way, so if you haven't tried a non alcoholic beer. Here's some options to give it a try. Do your own survey. Your your health, will will improve, your clarity will improve, and it is a great tactical tool

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Sam: to still drink, but dial it back a little bit by rotating in or outright, replacing your regular alcohol appear, and that it it has absolutely worked for me.

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Andy Whiteside: You know, Sam, I'm reflecting about this for just for myself, and

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Andy Whiteside: I drink mostly Decaf coffee.

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Andy Whiteside: Similar similar type of story, isn't it?

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Sam: Yeah.

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Sam: And and so, what was it about the caffeine that you didn't like? Was it the little jumpy or.

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Andy Whiteside: Yeah, I think. At 1 point, I was listening to one of the many, many podcasts listen to. And the guy said he doesn't drink coffee. No, thank you. I don't need anxiety and a cup every day, and I started realizing that's what it was for me like. It created this instant anxiety for me.

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Sam: Yeah.

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Andy Whiteside: Get a big big cup of coffee every morning, so now I mostly drink decaf, or I'll even mix them if I'm at a place where I can do that. Or occasionally I'll get a a full, you know, full caffeinated coffee. But I could, I could feel it in myself, which, with beer, I haven't historically felt it, but I think that's cause. It probably sneaks up on you.

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Sam: Yeah. Well, that this is just a one man's journey through navigating through this new sector that seems to be ever growing so. Encourage everybody to, you know. Try different styles and on alcohol appears. If this information helps you and you'll find a little video about all of these on on my website, moderation, drinkingcom.

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Andy Whiteside: And I think that's saying a lot from from 2 generation Xers to have to thank the millennials for for doing something, for

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Andy Whiteside: it's a little. I don't know what this means for the Gen. Z. Or what do you think? What do you think this? What do you think? This conversation, how does it apply to the Gen. Z. Gen. Z. Folks? Which are, you know, my kids are 21. Now they're 22. They're they're they're they're right here in this somewhere.

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Sam: Yeah, I think you know, you know, I read, I read somewhere that

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Sam: the the the generation that grew up with the smartphones

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Sam: is is doing everything differently, their their their levels of communication intimacy. And there, I say, you know, parting

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Sam: are focused on this little screen.

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Sam: And you know I don't know. There, there! My my joke on that is that they they don't have time to drink because they're looking at their screen all the time, so I I don't know, and I have my my oldest son is graduating college next month. So he's right right in that mix I've got some family members my wife's daughter is 23. And

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Sam: you know this, it's just a it was a different experience growing up for them with the smartphone.

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Andy Whiteside: Usually they get. And and I'm not saying just them, because I see it. In my own older adult members of my family. They get their dope mean out of this little screen.

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Sam: Yeah, yeah.

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Andy Whiteside: Crazy. But I'm sure there's an element of alcohol in the drug consumption that goes along with some of that, if not a lot of it, but certainly it's a different way to get to get your high. Hear your buzz.

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Sam: Yeah.

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Andy Whiteside: Maybe, one of your next blogs can be. You know how you translate your if you go back in time

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Andy Whiteside: and be born, you know later, and be a Gen. Zer.

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Andy Whiteside: how you would tell that story to yourself.

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Sam: Yeah, interesting.

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Andy Whiteside: Sam. Thanks for the time. I always appreciate

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Andy Whiteside: setting up, and I look forward to hopefully running into you sometime this summer, when I'm down there.

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Sam: Yeah, and we gotta go connect when you're on folly. Next.

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Andy Whiteside: I I'm at work. When I'm at work. I control my schedule when I'm not at work. I don't control my schedule.

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Sam: Yeah, you got. I have a boss, too, my my lovely wife. I know how how it works.

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Andy Whiteside: Stay tied up alright, Sam, thank you for the time, and we'll look.

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Sam: Alright, of course.

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Andy Whiteside: Super too thanks.

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Sam: See you next month, bye.