Is it my place to bring up something said by a friend while drunk?
Asked by
lisaj89 (
720)
April 17th, 2009
Okay, so a friend of mine who had never drank before in her life got completely smashed last weekend. During the whole fiasco, she admitted a couple of horrible things which occurred in her early teens. I have only known the girl for about four months, but we have become very good friends. My question is whether it is my place to bring up the subject. She has very low self esteem, which has to stem from the information I learned because she is one of the most amazing people I have ever met. She just moved here from out of state so she does not have a very strong support system right now. I want to let her know that she can talk to me about anything, but at the same time, I don’t want her to be embarrassed that I know.
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10 Answers
I would let her go to you with this info. I would be pissed if someone was like, “You said some crazy shit last night.” If you are friends you learn to share. Maybe sharing some stuff about you will help her share.
My mother shot my father in the forehead when I was ten. I kinda know about hiding stuff from people. It took a long time and a newspaper article that all my friends saw to give up.
I wouldn’t bring it up unless she brings it up first. She may not be ready to talk about it yet. If it came up while drunk it’s probably been festering for a long time. In general, be there for her as you would for any good friend and eventually if she feels comfortable, she may decide to talk about it more openly.
Let her bring it up on her own terms.
I agree with everyone before me.
Just use that information to be extra supportive.
You are a good friend to be concerned about this. When she’s down on herself or feeling blue, just let her know that you’re worried about her and are always ready to listen to her. I agree that sharing things about your life may help her to open up to you while she’s sober, too.
I wouldn’t mention it first. If she mentions drinking, tell her she mentioned some extremely personal information while under the influence, and that if she ever wanted to talk about anything, you’re there for her, and that she can trust you with confidences.
@AlfredaPrufrock hit the nail on the head. You don’t want her to get scared and retreat entirely; just let her know that you are willing to talk if and when she is. Let her know that talking to you is safe, you won’t be judgmental or make any assumptions, and you are comfortable with whatever she wants to say or not say. If she doesn’t feel safe (or drunk beyond belief), she may not want to say anything at all.
Thanks, everybody, your answers are very helpful.
Dont bring it up… I imagine she must be a very sensitive person to say those things in an intoxicated state. Let her bring the subject up… and most importantly.. remember that the past is the past and dont let this things affect your friendship.
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