Is it true that some people will tell secrets to a bartender that they wouldn't tell a doctor?

Naw. Not friends. People don’t tell friends anything. A Bartender is a stranger whose job is to listen without judging. They sell more booze that way. Doctors judge. They have to. They have to decide what is going on with people. If a doctor were to stop judging, they couldn’t do their job.

So yes, people tell bartenders secrets because they are anonymous. They don’t tell the bartender their name, just as at fluther. You can say anything, and it won’t get back to you because the bartender doesn’t know who you are. If you tell a doctor, you will be held responsible for it. There’s no way around that.

I wouldn’t. But then I don’t frequent bars very often and when I’m there I don’t usually drink.

Yes.
I was raised in a bar and am now coowner of said bar

It’s possible. I suspect that people tend to hold doctors in a higher status based upon their title. In general, they willingly accept any diagnosis and medication prescribed without question. Another factor is the fear of going to a doctor. The sooner the visit is over, the better.

A bartender is on the same playing level, if not considered lower. They are a captive audience. Someone sitting at a bar is typically drinking alcohol, which loosens their tongue. Bartenders listen because they know it might increase tips. A good bartender is like a lay therapist. They also know the questions to ask without being intrusive. That could be why regular customers keep coming back.

I have had people tell me the wierdest shit. I am not a bartender. It could have been the nitrous, but, I think people will tell a doctor weirder things than a bartender. Or maybe the same things.

!!! I was thinking about that scene just last night. At a bar.

I wouldn’t tell a doctor anything that wasn’t specifically related to what I wanted from them. I go to a doctor knowing what my illness is and what I want them to do about it. Plus, I’m much more honest when I’m heavily intoxicated. I mean, emotionally open anyway. I’ll still lie until the cows come home, but I’ll say the truths I have always wanted to but have decided against it.

And to answer the question…

I think I’m more afraid of the bartenders at my favorite bar judging me than my doctor judging me… Because I go to the bar more often than I go to the doctor!

I’ve heard this saying a lot and I think it pre-dates Star Trek. It’s based on the assumption that people will reveal more secrets when they’re drunk.

I think after a few drinks, people probably talk with a loosened tongue. Perhaps doctors should serve a glass or two of wine in the waiting rooms?

I’ve heard Bartenders say ” When you drink, you don’t think” who better to tell but a disinterested third party..

This question makes me think of a wartime poster Loose Lips Sink Ships, I imagine lots of lips become loose in bars.

Was a bartender. Yes