“Can I buy you a drink?” is a loaded question.
It could be an innocent request from someone who’s interested in having a cordial conversation. Other times, saying “yes” means you may have to fend off someone who feels entitled to spend the rest of the night with you.
In the worst-case scenario, someone is trying to take advantage of you or has a roofie in their pocket.
Feminist blogger Jennifer Dziura found a fool-proof way to stay safe while understanding someone’s intentions: ask for a non-alcoholic beverage or food. If they’re sincerely interested in spending some time getting to know you, they won’t mind buying something booze-free.
But if it’s their intention to lower your defenses, they’ll throw a mild tantrum after you refuse the booze. Her thoughts on the “Can I buy you a drink?” conundrum made their way to Tumblr.
The posts caught the attention of a bartender who knows there are lot of men out there whose sole intention is to get somone drunk to take advantage.
“Most of the time, when someone you don’t know is buying you a drink, they’re NOT doing it out of a sense of cordiality,” the bartender wrote. “They’re buying you a drink for the sole purpose of making you let your guard down.”
So they shared a few tips on how to be safe and social when someone asks to buy you a drink.
(snip)
If you do accept a drink from someone at a bar and you want to talk, there’s no need to feel obligated to spend the rest of the night with them.
Jaqueline Whitmore, founder of The Protocol School of Palm Beach, says to be polite you only have to “Engage in some friendly chit-chat, but you are not obligated to do more than that.”
If someone asks to buy you a drink and you don’t want it, Whitmore has a great tip. “Say thank you, but you are trying to cut back, have to drive or you don’t accept drinks from strangers,” Whitmore says.
What if they’ve already sent the drink over? “Give the drink to the bartender and tell him or her to enjoy it,” Whitmore says.
Have fun. Stay safe, and make sure to bring a great wing-man or wing-woman with you.
*see full story by UpWorthy
(We at AltRightTV do not promote drinking, but if you do, please do so responsibly)