When I Drink like Everyone Else, What could possibly Go Wrong?

This was my kind of adventure out of the house. No driving. No cabs. No Uber.

All we had to do was walk around the fence that divided our backyard from that of our next-door neighbor who was having a party. We could leave anytime without waiting for friends with whom we shared a ride. When we were done, we could be home and in bed in a matter of minutes. Seconds, if we ran. The situation was perfect.

What could possibly go wrong on a summer Saturday night like that?

I promised my wife we wouldn’t stay too late. “Just a couple of beers,” I’d said. “They’re new to the neighborhood, and we don’t want to be rude.” The couple renting the house next to us was younger, and we were the only guests with children in tow. They were eager to get to know us and kept thanking us for bringing our kids along. The rest of the barbeque attendees were fresh out of college, just like our neighbors, and they were drinking like they didn’t have much need to get up on Sunday morning.

I drank beer while my wife sipped her wine. We mingled, ate hamburgers and hotdogs, and tried to keep our kids from splatting mustard stains on their patio furniture. With bellies full and no other children with whom to play, our kids were over the…