I am feeling terribly anxious today. I was invited to attend a farewell get together for a friend of mine that is leaving for another exciting job opportunity. As a woman in my mid-twenties, I guess I should be excited. But, I am dreading it! I hate social situations, especially with strangers, and I also know that the main event will be some extreme binge drinking. I myself do not drink. I don't mind others that do, but it does make me uncomfortable if it is in excess. I have already heard several times they want to see "who pukes first". This is not something I want to do. But, I want to be there to support my friend! They are all meeting for dinner then moving on to a bar. I am just so anxious about how I can excuse myself after dinner. A lot of my anxiety surrounding the drinking is due to a past relationship where my ex would get drunk and then yell, break things, chase me around, etc. That relationship ended up quite physically abusive and I guess over time I got incredibly anxious whenever I saw anyone drinking because I imagined them turning in to this monster.

Soooo, I am just needing to vent my fears a little and hope I can get through the night. I have already dialed her number several times to cancel, but I don't want to be a flake. I just HATE HATE HATE social situations with a lot of new faces in a place I've never been. I assume a lot of y'all can commiserate? Hoping to utilize some of my coping mechanisms. And, to be realistic with my stress levels. If I'm not comfortable, I have already recited my excuse stories to leave. I hate that I can't be there for my friend or I can't be comfortable around this type of social situation. Especially since most of the peers my age engage in this type of activity regularly!