FittingIn: Have a Drink
Yet another series of posts I’ll end up doing, this one is in a new series called “FittingIn”. There are many ways in which people seek to “fit in” with a group of people whether it be friends, family, schoolmates or co-workers. This only comes up because of a discussion I was involved in where it became somewhat apparent that I really didn’t “fit in”. Yeah, the subject was drinking and getting drunk.
It was like a retelling of various war stories. However, there was no doing it for the “greater good”, because there is nothing good about getting so plastered that you puke and experience other body function anomalies. I couldn’t shake my head in agreement or contribute to the ever-growing encyclopedia of experiences that was being completely inebriated.
I have NEVER ever been drunk in my entire life (36 years so far). What’s fun about throwing up, having hangovers, waking up with strangers, going back for your car, etc.? I’ll have one or two drinks once in a while (usually once in a LONG while). However, I’ve only felt the “buzz” a few times and that was usually my signal to stop.
Unfortunately, too many people I know look for that sign as the “beginning of the fun”.
Why do I even bring all this up? Because I cannot “fit in” with many of my friends and co-workers in this area. I think, in many respects, they know that I don’t approve of that activity (getting drunk… I do approve of drinking) and so they don’t attempt to coerce me into going out after work or on the weekends.
The closest I ever got to such a night was my best friend’s bachelor party. We all went to downtown Fort Worth and enjoyed some improvisational comedy group and then went to a few hangouts downtown. It was at the second one that my best friend’s “friends” from down in Waco managed to finally get him plastered. At that point, two other friends and myself called it a night and left. We had no intention of sitting around remaining sober while my best friend made a fool of himself. His wife-to-be was furious the next day at the wedding because he had promised he would not get drunk.
Thankfully, this is one group of people that I do not bemoan the fact that I don’t fit in.
