Canadian Poker Player Accidentally Served First Drink in 34 Years

A Canadian man who had refrained from drinking for 34 years was stunned when he was accidentally served an alcoholic drink at Casino Nova Scotia earlier this year. The incident triggered a furious reaction from the man, resulting in his suspension from the casino.

Emmett Peters, a 57-year-old man from Halifax, had been sober since his early 30s after spending a decade as an alcoholic. According to Peters, his drinking began after the death of his father, when he was just 13 years old.

The incident occurred on January 6^th, while Peters was playing poker. Peters was drinking his preferred ginger ale, and asked a waitress for another drink. When he took a sip of what the waitress brought him, however, he quickly realized that it was a beer – the first alcohol he had tasted in 34 years.

“I was crying,” Peters told the CBC News. “I mean, I felt tainted. It was like going back to the first time I quit drinking. I felt like I lost my sobriety, I guess. It really shook me up. It took me a week to get back to normal.”

Peters reacted strongly to getting the drink, smashing his glass before angrily leaving the casino. The manner of his exit led to a three month suspension from the casino. However, Casino Nova Scotia also said that they aren’t taking the incident lightly, and that they have emphasized to their staff that it is important to avoid serving alcohol to anyone who has not ordered it – and particularly, to people like Peters who have made their preference not to drink alcohol clear.

Peters, who said that he is normally vigilant about making sure that he is not accidentally served alcohol, said that he has learned his lesson about leaving his guard down, and hopes servers will learn not to let such mistakes happen as a result of his incident. He was not yet sure if he would want to return to Casino Nova Scotia once his suspension is lifted.