Drunk kisses in bars and clubs: do they count?

Everyone has done it before: you go to bars and clubs, drink a little and then, out of nowhere, you’re kissing a complete stranger … or worse, your friend. We all like to pretend that these drunken kisses in the middle of the night mean nothing, but the truth is that these kisses have the power to make your friendship uncomfortable. At the very least, they can leave you with a “Why did I do that?” thought running through your head throughout the next day.

Drunk kisses can happen for several reasons: mutual attraction, stupidity, daring, your faces were too close to each other, or because you felt like it. So here’s the question a lot of people ask themselves the next day: Did that drunk kiss count? Should everything be discarded due to alcohol? Or did the kiss mean something else? Do you have to deal with it or pretend it never happened?

A drunk kiss that definitely doesn’t count is a kiss from a friend’s challenge after drinking too much at a bar or nightclub. This should not be allowed to make anything uncomfortable because you probably didn’t want to do it in the first place, but you were forced to do it, otherwise you would lose face. Write it down as finishing a challenge that was assigned to you and move on.

Similarly, kisses just because they felt like it or because they tripped on the face (it happens, believe me) should be ignored and forgotten. Impulsiveness is a characteristic of being drunk; don’t mistake wanting to kiss someone “just because” with genuine emotions. Unless you have those feelings for them for the next day or week, erase them from your memory.

If you were attracted to them in the beginning, then of course the drunken kiss could mean something else. However, don’t assume the other person feels the same way. There’s never anything more overwhelming than hearing the person you’re attracted to say “Yeah, let’s forget what happened last night, okay?” The best way to understand this kiss is to mention it casually the next day: for example, “Hey, what we did last night …”, or something like that. Leave it open, if the other person doesn’t immediately say “Please let’s forget it”, chances are that it means more to them too.

But with any situation, there are gray areas. If you used to go out, or if one of you has a boyfriend / girlfriend, it becomes more complex. The boyfriend / girlfriend situation should be a no-go zone after that night – unless they’re planning to break up, the more you chase it, the more complicated and difficult it becomes. Similarly, if you used to date, you need to weigh the situation before deciding that the kiss was a “sign” and that they should get back together.

There is nothing wrong with a drunken kiss or two in a night at a bar; in fact, it can increase your night, or at least increase your crazy memories. Just make sure to clear the air so it doesn’t get awkward afterwards if it’s a friend. If he’s a stranger, then a pash-and-dash might be appropriate. Just make sure it’s not someone you’ll see again.