Day 72 - Why Am I So Scared to Be Direct With Her? in These Foolish Things
- March 13, 2025, 10:52 a.m.
- |
- Public
Do you remember me writing about my friend Anni? She’s the one who gets fall-down fucked up and gets mean to me on our girls trips and it’s become really, really upsetting to me. She had invited herself to a weekend here in my city when my Nashville girls were coming to town, and I told her that I needed to talk with her before she made flight reservations and other solid plans. I wanted to tell her that it’s NOT OKAY to get fucked up and be a total dick to me and that I would NOT have her in MY HOUSE treating me like shit.
Well, she blew off our first appointment to talk (just never answered the phone) and then we just kept missing each other, and finally it was too late for her to book any flights or make it here, so I dropped it.
We finally talked after the fact - after the girls came to visit. We talked due to a rift in a couple of other friends (also somewhat because of alcohol) and the fact that she’s planning a girls trip to Sedona for all of us. That’s going to be our next big Girls Trip this year.
But our talks have been mostly superficial. We DID talk about how all of us are cutting down on drinking - me, 100% and the rest of the women…well, some. And I made assumptions that she knew that I was referencing her when I said that drinking has become an ISSUE (emphasizing that!) for us as a group.
And I honestly felt like she understood after we’d had our little chat. Case somewhat closed until we’d see each other in person again and I’d see if she’d truly worked on the issue.
Until last evening. She called me to let me know of some of the details regarding when she’s coming to town next month for work. She’s not going to be staying with me, but she’s invited me to a couple of dinners that she’s having with some other women. And I’m excited to go! I definitely want to get out on the town, and she loves fancy. So that’s a yes - especially since she’s not going to be staying with me and I can just leave anytime if it gets weird. Right?
Then our conversation went to other things. She was talking about some trips that she’s taken with other friends and that a funny thing that happened when she went to see Marc Maron do a show in Napa. She said she loves Marc Maron so much and that she “gave him a gift” right in the middle of a show and that he was a little thrown during his act, but that he loved it and had mentioned it several times on his podcast (she says four times), but that she feels a little funny about it after the fact.
So of course, I had to do a little sleuthing because…hmmm, right? Why does that sound a little sus to me?
Here is what I found on Reddit. Note that Anni is the Gift Giver in all of these comments.
I am MORTIFIED for her! She lost control and PISSED herself? Oh my god. This was in January! She clearly hasn’t changed a bit!
THIS is what I’m dealing with.
So, I sent that Reddit link to my friend Lis. And I asked her the same thing as the title of this entry: why am I so afraid to be direct with her?
And this is what my wise friend replied:
I love her so much. She’s the wisest friend of them all. I agree with all of this, but there’s still the challenge of actually executing this conversation. I MUST step up to the plate and have this talk before the Sedona trip in early June.
Wish me luck.
xox,
GS
The Rocky Mountain ⋅ March 13, 2025
Omg. PEED herself?! I would be direct too. "I really enjoy our group hangouts, but I felt like you drank a lot last time and I was really worried about you. This time, can we keep things a little more balances so we can all have a great time together?"
Is she combative? If she gets combative, I'd totally bring up what you saw on Reddit..
Ginger Snap The Rocky Mountain ⋅ March 14, 2025
So, yes. I'd say she's combative in the way that when I enforce my boundaries, she gets mad and calls me a bitch and flips me off and is full of "fuck you!!"s to me. THIS is the thing that bothers me the most. She is very lovey dovey and affectionate with me when she's sober, but when she has alcohol in her system, she turns into a different person.
Fawkes Gal ⋅ March 13, 2025
Good luck, I think your other friend gave you some great tips to make it as non-confrontational as possible.
colder ⋅ March 13, 2025
This is a tough spot to be in. How to relate the "nobody wants to be around you when you're like that" is something I have had to bring up with someone in the past and it never went well because he didn't think there was a problem, and I couldn't make him see it. It was always you're overreacting, nobody else cares, etc... But it occurred to me that these responses were attempts not to deal with the problem with himself. Focused on others' reactions or what they are thinking, rather than why I should be doing this or what good it does me to end up sick or asleep out in the backyard and such. Maybe I should have tried to steer the thoughts inward rather than making them about managing other people's feelings...
Well, good luck. Whatever you do, I'm sure you will handle it in a mature way that will be respectful and fair. We can't control how people react to us, only how we act toward them.
Parliament ⋅ March 13, 2025
I'm so much more alone now than I ever have been, and a big part of it (y'all remember my entries) is because my friends don't know how to socialize without booze.
At our age, seeing people totally plastered is off-putting (you don't notice it as much if you're drinking yourself, even a little bit). And people have the HARDEST TIME with you if you're not drinking, especially if you were a hard charger in the past. So many guilt trips over it.
Complicated Disaster ⋅ March 13, 2025
Oh well. At least she didn't piss herself *during* the show! xx
Fred ⋅ March 13, 2025
I think the obvious thing here is that regardless of her behavior, you no longer drink and no longer see that kind of behavior as fun. It doesn’t sound like there is any positive reason you should spend time with her when she’s drinking. You need to be direct about what does and doesn’t work for you. Her health and behavior is a different issue but she may or may not be receptive to talking about that.
Ginger Snap Fred ⋅ March 14, 2025
Yes. My goal is to tell her what I'll accept and if she crosses that boundary, I'm out.
Park Row Fallout ⋅ March 13, 2025
Excellent support from your friend. These things can be very difficult and it makes sense that it would be hard to be direct with someone about this issue. But I do think a conversation, or series of conversations, about boundaries is always good.
Ginger Snap Park Row Fallout ⋅ March 14, 2025
Good idea. I feel like maybe it's a series of conversations and we've already opened the door. I like this thought, thank you.
Satine ⋅ March 14, 2025
omg the reddit comments
"Not sure if she was plastered or had some kind of brain damage or both."
Athena Satine ⋅ March 14, 2025
Long term alcohol abuse damages your brain. So both.
Ginger Snap Athena ⋅ March 14, 2025
I know. I'm so sad about this.
Athena ⋅ March 14, 2025
My therapist had told me to stop asking why and start asking what. As in “what do I gain from not being direct with her and what do I gain from not taking care of my needs here?” It might be easier to explore your motivations with a what question.
Ginger Snap Athena ⋅ March 14, 2025
I love this. Thank you 💗