Drunken Behavior at Networking Events ... Bad, Bad, Bad

If you're at a party that is a professional event, I have some tried-and-true advice about your drinking antics.  Now I'm not above a cocktail while I'm out networking. In fact, I've discovered that champagne makes a light, refreshing beverage with just about any meal. But when in public at an event with business people on hand and you've been discussing business with someone -- and perhaps "left your belly at the bar" to have liquor poured a little too much into then you ought to be careful. At a recent networking event, I was mingling with prospective authors, and one of them imbibed far more than he should have. Pretty soon he was being silly and flirtatious to the point where I wasn't comfortable with it. He joked about spitting on me. Not a good tactic to get any woman's attention (by the way). He pretended to throw ice at me. Yet another really terrible gesture. And then he grabbed me with his "iced" cold hands to make a point and shoved me backwards. Again, not a great gesture to pull a woman wearing heels -- and with an aversion to being touch ... with cold hands or even just hands on. Now the problem for my drunken would-be author is after that show of "bad form," I will not be doing business with him. Not even if his book promises to change the world. Nope! Not even that will make up for acting like an idiot and shamelessly touching me. Bottom line, I'm not up for sexual harassment as my choice of violations of the day. Not now -- not ever. So next time you're out networking and you let your propensity to drink too much go too far, think twice. I'm just saying.