OnMyWay7

Yes, I had a Holiday party tonight and yes I had to go. And can you believe it they only had beer and wine to drink... I was amazed. When dinner was served they poured glasses of water but when I asked for a soda the planner looked at me weird and said - "well the beer and wine are up there" - very nicely I responded that I was driving and wanted a diet soda. She made a bit of a face like "we're all driving here" but she got me my soda and I just went on to drink just about everyone's water around me. I was really disappointed that they didn't think "what if someone can't drink"? I guess that was the water with dinner.

Guess I'm just feeling a bit pissy. Yes I would like to drink and have a good time and get loud but I can't drink - so at least let me have something I like to drink around. It was fine - I had a good time and the food was great. Like I said - I think I'm just a bit pissy about the whole thing.

Dee74

Bizarre OMW.

D

Ruby2

I'm with you and Dee. It's really odd that they had nothing but beer and wine. You did get soda though, right?

at least the food was good. Maybe next year you could suggest some non alcoholic alternative?

Soberwolf

Don't get down you done excellent in my book bud

PurpleKnight

Greta job on sticking to your guns!!

. . . very weird no one thought about people driving!!

shortstop81

I'm surprised that at a company party there wasn't more concern about drinking & driving.

Glad you made it through it, but I agree that that's bizarre!

Yogini1603

That's so awkward to have to make a special request just for a non alcoholic drink! You did a great job to avoid the booze in a situation like that but I'm pleased there was food!

Marcher13

OnMyWay7 you did well. If I were you I'd raise that with the social person/volunteer quietly but calmly at a later date. What would a pregnant or breast-feeding woman do or a person on medication or simply a non-drinker?

Gottalife

I smiled at you drinking all the water around you. It reminded me of early days when I used to drink soft drink at the same rate I drank booze. I seemed to have this automatic elbow that didn't know I had stopped.

At some point it must have died down. These days I can get through a night out with one or two juices, and I am quite happy talking to people without a glass in my hand.

Lucie29

I have two jobs, and both holiday parties revolve around drinking. One job is literally at a nightclub, where they will have an open bar and horderevs, and the other will be a wine glass painting class, with wine of course, and everyone is supposed to bring a dish. I work at two different health club/day spas lol. I made up excuses for both of why I cannot attend, but it is so surprising that none of these managers ever thought about what a sober employee would do at one of these things.

LiveInPeace

I'd be so curious to hear what the planner's boss thought about this. Then again, maybe she was just following orders. It's very strange.

Sometimes I wonder if some company parties have free alcohol on purpose so they can see people get drunk and observe how they act. Other times I wonder if company parties have alcohol like that because they want people to "let lose and have fun" to increase employee moral. Either way, I think it is extremely irresponsible if this is what the thought behind it is. Or maybe that's just my colorful imagination, and this planner is a hard drinker or something and can't imagine anyone not drinking at a holiday party.

I read your post three times last night, and I was just very perplexed and I didn't know how to respond.

Obviously the planner is in the wrong, but in sobriety it's all about our response to people like this. The Serenity Prayer kept coming to my mind (to accept the things we cannot change...) I am learning to stop getting resentful anytime someone doesn't act the way I want them to.

Good for you for sticking to your guns and not letting her get to you or pressure you into drinking. I'm still in shock by her reaction at your request for a soda.

I'm still wondering why there wasn't more of a concern about drinking and driving. Wouldn't the company be liable if something happened?

Hopefully someone who works in HR can chime in.

CodeJob

No one ever gives a rat's behind if I drink or not at an event. I'd reflect on your pissy attitude as that sounds like the alcoholic voice pitching a fit that you had to ask for a soda. You did get one though. They were there. You got that easier than water refills it sounds like!?

I'm the wife of a RA and trust me, as the usual default driver, I've been there and been there and been there for years of events. Sober.

And Lucie, I would love to go to one of those painter events! How fun! And I'd not drink because I'd want to concentrate! ha ha! How sad you backed out of a fun opportunity! You go and have fun - SOBER. It is something I hope you all learn to do well and with panache!

trachemys

I suddenly realized it's so much easier to be sober here in the South.

OnMyWay7

im sure it was my AV being pissy. I didn't justify the feeling just noting that I was feeling it. This is the place I'm allowed to go and vent like this - so I did. I'm not pissy anymore but I did want a drink so yes grumpy I had to ask but I did get it and did speak to the planner and the site head - my guess is from now on they'll have soda.

Lance40

I'm glad it turned out okay for you. It's really poor corporate responsibility to not offer non-alcoholic alternatives. At our parties we encourage corporate responsibility by giving out a maximum of two drink tickets on the house, offer non-alcoholic beverages, reimburse taxis for people who drink and reimburse one night's hotel for people who live too far to take a taxi.

MesaMan

.
OnMyWay7 ~

This has about nothing to do with you. This Corp Attitude is so Retro - as in, behind the times - I laughed. Lawdy.

We were put on Buses >20 years ago to get comfortably hauled to Restaurants up in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The Small Company CEO bought the first Round. Drunks eventually would be shown the Door if they really mucked up, like hitting on Female Coworkers. Game, and Career, over. Corporate Parties ain't some Episode of 'Mad Men'.

Had someone been in an Accident on the way Home from your Party, some Attorney's Kid's Education would have been paid for by the time Lawsuits settled. The Corp Liability for what this Party Planner did is simply laughable; it's so extreme in this Day & Age. You should feel put out; your AV aside. See Lance40's Post re: how the World actually works.

There's Folks on Medicine. Pregnant Women. Folks doing 1/2 Work Days the next Morning. All sorts of reasons to have Alcohol-free alternatives. These reasons, and Legal Liability, are why I said 'This has about nothing to do with you'.
.

Fly N Buy

My alcoholic brain would wonder - who the heck do I work for that there's zero accommodations for any non drinker for whatever reason!?!?

Glad you made it through alright!