Why the Party Going Lifestyle is Not for Us

Not that it happens very often to my husband and I - getting an invitation to a party - but if and when we do, we usually decline it. Neither one of us are into the party going lifestyle where we are surrounded by dozens of other people, people who might infringe upon our relationship. Most married couples are meant to live a life of their own and spend quality time with each other, not valueless time like drinking, possibly doing illegal drugs, and even indulging in illicit sex with total strangers, activities that can and do take place at parties. Then when things get too rowdy, you cannot be surprised when a neighbor complains about the noise and calls the police to have things quiet down, the party goers find themselves arrested and spending the night in jail, not in the comfortable beds of their own home. Party going thus begs the question, is it really a social activity, or anti-social if illegal drugs and excessive quantities of alcohol is consumed? Not everyone will have that designated driver when it is time to go home (provided they do not get arrested first at the party). Was that party going time well spent, or time well wasted? Granted, party going is not the most productive activity in the world (writing for Associated Content is more productive) and can even cause a serious rift in your relationship when you find out your spouse has had a few too many and started doing something with a stranger that you never would have expected him or her to do. Hurt feelings and STD's are not an idea of a good time to more people than you think. After all, who wants to end up in therapy over a party? No one, that is, who cares enough to maintain public composure. Ah, public composure - something frequently lost at parties by someone who does not know enough to stay away from the alcohol and illegal drugs. Once you lose composure and someone at the party sees it happen and starts talking about it all over town the next day, has it been worth it? No, it wasn't.

While the party going lifestyle is prevalent in the last city we lived, we took no part of it, even if asked. Just reading the local newspaper of not only illegal drugs and alcohol taking place at these parties but also guns being fired does not paint parties in a positive light. People getting shot to death at a party is much more than anti-social, it is destructive as a whole to the social fabric of the nation. For these party goers, life was one big street corner. These are not exactly the kind of people you discuss your latest publication in Children Churches and Daddies with. It can be even worse when one of the main party goers you know at work says "I can be hanging out with my friends on the street corner if I wasn't at work." The party going mentality does not exactly emulate a work ethic, nor help you achieve your goals if you are serious about them. Being dragged down so that you do not progress and be all that you truly can be does not have the word party stamped on it anywhere. Like my husband and I, two people serious about a real, meaningful relationship and our goals, we do not have the time for party going. We have plenty of time to nurture and help each other along the way of our goals and listen to our instinct, not the voices of those who drag us down to their level.