This summer has been of doing things, which hasn’t left me the time to write as much as I’d have liked, but getting out and about more than I have the last few years has reinforced a couple points of common courtesy when it comes to going out for drinks (or participating in events where drinking is expected to play a role):
Don’t Be a Drag
- Don’t get self righteous. If you’re not drinking and everyone else is, don’t talk about it. Nobody cares. Not really. What you end up doing is making them feel like you’re judging. And if you are judging, then you might want to think about why you’re even there.
- Don’t hide that you’re not drinking. Nobody likes a fake.
- Don’t be the odd man out. Sometimes non-drinkers can make everyone else uncomfortable. drink non-alcoholic beer - the alcohol content is negligible and you fit in even if everyone knows you're drinking NA. If NA beer isn’t your thing, find something that is - something like a Shirley Temple, or if all else fails, a tonic or coke with a lime wedge.
Buy a Round
- Don’t be cheap. Buy a round once in a while.
- Take Care of Your Friends
- We’ve all been short on cash. As long as your friend isn’t a mooch, buy a drink for him if his money’s tight and you’re all having a good time
Take Care of Your Bartender/Waitress
- Tip. Just do it. And if you like the person taking care of you and want to make sure they take real good care of you, be polite, be patient and tip well. You’d be surprised how often it pays off.
Be the Designated Driver
- Don’t always take advantage of friends that don’t drink.
- Don’t get smashed if everyone else expects you to drive. If you start as the driver, expect to end as the driver unless someone specifically says they’ll drive everyone home at the end of the night.
- If you’re the sloppy drunk, make sure you’re the DD every so often to thank your friends for all the times they took care of you when you were too far gone to take care of yourself.
- Don’t drive drunk. If you have a couple drinks, drink water and stop early - give yourself plenty of time to sober up.
What points of common courtesy do you think are most important? What do you think I've neglected to mention?
