What i realized last night
Last night i was at a party for some friend of a friend for his birthday… good party in terms of food and drink and the atmosphere was pretty decent as well – but I only knew 4 people who attended, out of about 40 and it brought back stark memories of my 20-something years. I felt very out of my depth last night.
I grew up in a very sheltered family; overprotected and not allowed to do much that most teenagers do ie: parties and going out later on weekends etc. My parents said they didnt trust my friends, but really they didnt trust me to make good choices either. They were scared shitless I”d have a drink or two and turn into an alcoholic :O So, i basically never went to parties until I left home at the age of 17; one day after graduation!
I did attend a few parties here and there, but as I am not much of a drinker, didnt do pot/dope and wasnt sure how to have a decent conversation with a stranger, my party days were short lived- I’d rather go to the dentist than a party! As i got older, and more comfortable in my own skin, I got to be okay at ‘parties’ if the people attending were mostly people i already knew… i still didnt like being in a room of strangers at that point.
Last night sort of brought all that back. I chose to not drink last night and there is nothing worse than being in a room of people drinking and eating to excess when you are not partaking of same! i felt very much the shy recluse last night again – like i did 20 something years ago. Thankfully a very nice retired man took it upon himself to start a conversation with me -turns out he was a high school teacher in areas that i attended high school as a teenager and so we had one thing in common at least. We also had in common the dislike of being in a room full of strangers 
so we went for a walk to ‘walk off dinner’. It was quite enjoyable actually.
As for drink – I realized last night that drink is from the devil lol. Seriously – drink is the only substance i can think of that gives people a false sense of security, of bravado – allows them to do or say things they would not normallly do sober. Most people cannot stop at one drink – two or three maybe but not one. Its empty calories and not good for you in the least (a glass of red wine daily might be good for heart attack prevention but is still deadly on the immune system and liver)… and most people that habitually drink even one a day, have this puffy faced countenance – just start observing people in the pub or at that next party you attend! You’ll see what i mean. I’ve decided pretty much that at my age i need all the help i can get to keep looking okay so drink is off my list for the most part – the odd one here or there but no more just to be ’sociable’. Besides most of the people i know that Social Drink, seem to be in a fog all the time even when not drinking… i’d rather be awake and alive and alert.
Funny how observing people (for me) brings out thoughts and ideas of things… which is also why i’m no good at parties – i’d much rather sit and listen to conversations around me than inject my 2 cents worth!
Tags: alcohol, being sociable, drink, eat drink be merry, food, food and drink, i hate parties, last nights party, observations of party goers, parties, partying, to party or not to party, too much food and drink
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July 3, 2009 at 6:52 pm
and that is why I enjoyed being with You at the Prancing Pony. The conversation was lively, the drinks were unending, and our time together was precioussss.
I hope your new digs are all you desired and you are mended from your “Safety Accident” and I am so thankful we don not have to call your boriel of the nine fingers.
Love, Peace, and Hope,
Ever your friend,
Tom