Exchanges with People that Make Your Brain Hurt

OK, so I lifted the title of this post from an EtiquetteHell forum, but it sums it up pretty exactly what happened when we saw a friend recently.

We were discussing non-alcoholic drinks, as she said she can no longer stand the taste of alcohol, and so no longer drinks…

I said I’m perfectly OK when we go to other people’s houses to have water or fruit juice (but don’t expect juice to be offered, and really am fine with tap water), and she said she couldn’t stand fruit juice [I really can’t convey the level of disdain she attached to something that ‘disgusting’…  Mind, she happily drinks Coke, so our taste buds must be fairly different!], so I said I’m fine with just water.

And she said she was talking about at home, so I started telling her about Rice Dream – my favourite “treat” drink: hazelnut & almond-flavoured rice “milk”.  So then she said she couldn’t expect people to provide that for her [I know; I don’t expect that to happen, but we were talking about what to drink in our own homes], so that’s why she drinks Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer [that she brings with her].

I think it was at that point that my brain broke, and I realised that whatever I said was going to be wrong, so I got up to get myself another glass of delicious [and easily available] tap water, as she reached in her bag for her “non-alcoholic” alternative to expecting people to provide something she could drink.

[In case anyone hasn’t seen all the advertisements on television for Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer, it’s basically an alcoholic version of ginger ale (a non-alcoholic mixer, more common in pubs that domestic settings, which way back in the mists of time used to contain alcohol), so a slightly fiery tasting alcopop.]

She did offer me some, but I re-iterated that I’m not drinking alcohol…

I’m still not sure how something like a strong lager (4%) in bigger bottles counts as non-alcoholic, but I’m glad we weren’t venturing onto the roads that night…

Another incident happened at a party – I had to refuse one friend’s offer of dessert wine a couple of times, and then port about four or five times.  I have to admit, the last time I said “I don’t want any alcohol, I’m driving” I got a bit tetchy and emphatic, but seriously how awful am I that I don’t want to get behind the wheel of a car when I’ve had a drink?

I know I offended the second friend [I could tell from her face], and she and her husband went really soon after that, but I hadn’t realised her hubby was driving.  So glad we left after them!

When we got to the car & I spent about five minutes scraping off the ice from the windows whilst the engine warmed up I was really happy to have all my wits about me…

Even more so when we passed the police vehicle stopped at the end of the lane!

I don’t think I’m a party-pooper, but I’m really not happy at being repeatedly pressed to drink alcohol, especially when I’m driving.