Will there ever be an alcohol-free stag do?
Chances are when we mention the words stag do you picture a bunch of young men, completely sozzled, humiliating the groom-to-be, and getting up to all sorts of mischief, whether that’s home or abroad.
Well, that is most certainly still the case. Stag and hen parties are still hedonistic ventures where the lady or man in question has their one night of hedonism before the commitment that is marriage.
Hedonism and alcohol-free … they don’t exactly go hand in hand, do they??
Origins of a stag
Well, let’s take a step back and look at the origins of a stag. Firstly, the concept of the last night of drinking and mayhem before marriage originates from Ancient Sparta (and those Greeks sure know how to party) so it’s a time-old tradition.
How about the name itself? It’s not conclusive but there are a couple of reasons for this – maybe it was used to identify masculinity given the impressive and dominant nature of the stag itself. Maybe it was to celebrate the Celtic god Cernunnos (hairy, horned god). No one really knows, what we do know though is that the ‘human stag’ could well be adorning a pair of antlers … whilst also dressed as Iron man.
So, can a stag do be alcohol-free?
Given the spectacular rise in the popularity of alcohol-free drinks, the lack of ‘shame’ there once was whilst ordering them, the fact they’re becoming a lot tastier, and that an increasing proportion of young adults are more and more health-conscious, we think the days of copious amounts of booze could be nearing the end.
We are not saying people won’t drink on stags. They will. As mentioned above it’s been a human tradition for 1000s of years but over the next few years, the idea of bingeing until you puke will become a sweet distant memory.
In summary
The chances are stag dos and hen parties will consist of both alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks. Perhaps alcohol-free drinks will be prevalent in the daytime giving way to the alcoholic versions at night. It makes sense practically speaking too. Given the aggressive and combative nature of stag activities such as shotgun shooting and tank driving I know I would rather be opposite someone with a shotgun sipping on an alcohol-free lager than someone who just downed five jager bombs!
So let’s be realistic here, there’s bound to be a few rounds bought during a stag do and a few shots for good health but there’s no reason why alcohol-free drinks can’t be drunk throughout the soiree too … mix it up a little. End of the day the guests themselves are more likely to go alcohol-free, it’s the stag who will need the ‘dutch courage’ when he has to put on his humiliating outfit and partake in cringe-worthy dares.
