When going to the club, we must remember that we need to be moderate with what we drink. Of course many people forget about this rule especially those who are in a mood for partying. But just remember your limits when it comes to alcohol consumption. Being moderate means your keeping yourself safe, including your friends and your belongings.
Unfortunately, even with alcoholic beverages having reminders of responsible drinking labeled on their bottles, many people just lose control and end up getting tremendously drunk. They get so intoxicated to the point that they couldn’t walk or even talk in an audible manner. They are just zombies mindlessly wondering around the club that needs help. But the story I’m about to tell is a precautionary tale for people who might consider helping these inebriated people. That it’s not actually a good idea to do so and your charity in this kind of setting might backfire in some way.
STORY TIME. So I went barhopping with another male friend in Tomas Morato Quezon city just this one recent night. We came to our last club at around 3:30am, a time you could certainly expect that some club goers are most likely already drunk and ready to go home. We got a table by the bar, ordered a few beers and some buttered chicken for our snack.
A little later through that night, a lady caught everyone’s attention as she was running around the club with just one shoe on. It was obvious that she was heavily hammered. She could be seen pestering some customers and also the waiters. She then ended up coming to our table but I couldn’t understand what she was trying to say to me and my friend when she started talking to us. Unable to use her brain, she left her purse and her remaining shoe on our table and walked away. My friend tried to stop her from leaving and even tried to put the shoe back to her foot. But she just left us in a kind of a hurry. We waited a moment for her, thinking that she would return to get her stuff back.
When she has not returned, I got a bit concerned and looked for her to remind her that her stuff was still at our table and that she could just go get them from there. But I saw her slumped at the floor near the comfort rooms. She was covered with her own vomit since she probably didn’t make it to the toilet to puke there. When I came to her, it looked like there were other people who were talking to her out of concern. I asked them if they were her friends but they said they weren’t. They said that they think she’s alone at the club and her friends have probably left her earlier. So I came back to my table and told my friend about her drastic situation. We decided to just give her belongings back and just leave her be. But when I got back to the spot where I found her, she was gone.
Later on, I decided to head out of the club to buy some cigarettes when I saw her laying on the floor by the club’s inner entrance. She was awake but totally dazed and looking like a complete idiot. People coming in and out of the club were making fun of her for the apparent reasons. So I went back to our table where me and my friend have decided to just help her by at least giving her stuff back and perhaps calling whoever she knows to come pick her up.
So we came to her, gave her stuff back, and tried to sit her up straight to lean against the wall. While we were holding her up, I was asking her if she could call a friend or a relative to come and get her. It was difficult trying to talk to her as most of the words she was speaking weren’t even words. She couldn’t stand up nor speak properly at that point. She attempted to make a phone call but there was no answer from the other line. The music from the club was also too loud so we decided to carry her out of the club and sit her nearby the entrance where there was less music so she can make a proper call.
When we made it outside of the club, the bouncer saw us carrying her and firmly shouted something like “Hey! Do you fellas know her?!”. But me and my friend hesitated to answer. For me I hesitated because if I answered by telling him that we don’t know her, then it might look like we were on to something not good. After all, seeing two strange guys carrying an intoxicated and vulnerable woman out of the club is a definite moment of alert for the bouncer. And if I responded by telling him that we personally knew her, then he would simply ask the girl if we were telling the truth, by which she could say we were lying. Either answers would make us look bad. So we just sat her outside of the club and briefly explained the situation of the girl to the bouncer. The girl later on mumbled to me and my friend that we can just leave her there. And so we did.
The next day, my friend called me over the phone and we had a quick chat of what had happened that night. We realized that we should have not helped her at all. Our charity almost backed fired and almost made us look bad. A lot of things could have gone south. For instance, if something bad would have happened to her that night, we could be the primary suspects in some police investigation since we were the ones seen carrying her out of the club. And if something was missing in her purse, then she might accuse us of theft as we were the last ones seen holding it. Or what if she had drugs in her purse and the cops have stopped us and made checks? Seeing that we were holding the purse, we could easily be indicted if caught.
Lesson leaned. Don’t be a hero for unknown drunk people, even if it’s for a woman. It sounds harsh, but you need to look out for yourself too in these kinds of scenarios. It’s that simple. If you see someone under the influence of alcohol and unable to function properly just stay away from that person. Even if it’s a girl! You don’t need to feel guilty. But if you do, understand that it is better to feel guilty for inaction for a drunk person rather than to be accused of something your not. This is not cowardice. Clubs and bars are not places for heroism.
The best we can do is to just inform the club’s manager that a customer of theirs needs help. They should be able to know what to do.