Bars are as anti-me as it gets because of several reasons, like:
- a lot of loud voices + crowded
- too dark with confusing lights so I can’t make out faces
- a lot of smells that make me gag (sweat, alcohol, tobacco etc.)
- drunk people
- can’t drink anything because of how many times people have joked about spiking my orange juice, so at some point I don’t trust anyone at all and if I MUST, I use my hands and the tapwater from the toilets
- loud music with a heavy bass that messes with SOMETHING inside my body because I have a PHYSICAL REACTION (basically I freeze and then literally run away lol wtf) to that, it’s baffling really :o
I used to tag along when there were people I wanted to spend time with, but the last point usually cuts the visit short for the whole group because everyone is spooked and uncomfortable and it’s all around very awkward for me (because I basically ruined a whole group’s fun night out), so no matter how much I like the people inviting me to come with them, I’ll say no and just tell them to have fun while I have my kind of (quiet, alone, sober) fun.
So even a non-alcoholic bar would probably not be a place I could stay at because the number one thing that makes bars so awful for me is the noise level and heavy bass :(