Q&A for How to Get out of a Party You Don't Want to Go To

Well, if it’s not something you want to do, you can always decline an invite by saying it’s not for you. No harm done! If you want to, ask them if they would like to do a different activity in the future that may be more in alliance with something you enjoy. This way, you are honoring your needs and letting them know you value them.

If you haven't already answered, consider the reason you don't want to go. If you're really positive that the reason you don't want to go makes sense or is logical, you can take the next step. Tell her that you're extremely sorry, but you're needed at home or work. Try not to give too many details, because she may try to ask uncomfortable questions. You can also try telling her that your parents won't allow you to go or you're grounded.

Make up an excuse for not being able to go. Slowly drift apart from her and start hanging out with your other friends. Be nice to her when she talks to you, but distant. Never ignore her, just treat her like a distant friend.

Simply say you can't make it (and you send your birthday blessings) and don't offer any explanation. If he presses for one, you have the option of either being honest or telling a fib.

Give solid, well-thought reasons why you don't want to go. Just be willing to accept that you might have to go anyway. You sometimes have to do things you don't like.

Say you're in a meeting for work/you're gone away somewhere at the time of the party and can't make it.

Just go. You may be surprised. If you have a phone with games on it, take that along just in case.

You could make up an excuse, but you should think about going. It's your friend's night, and it sounds like he is excited for you to be there.

Try to be happy and have fun while you're there. And if you still are angry about being forced to go, when your parents come to pick you up act extremely angry and annoyed.

Tell your parents why you don't want to go. They might understand.

Since you have to go, keep an open mind. You may meet someone new and interesting.

That would be just fine.

Say you have a doctor's appointment or are sick. You could also say your mom came for a surprise visit.

You can always leave, no matter what the circumstances are. If you want to leave, leave. Claim you have diarrhea, a headache, or just feel sick. You, obviously, can't claim you're bleeding from the arm. Though honesty is always best, in this case courtesy may be better, so be polite about it. "Oh darn it! I have a little personal problem (imply diarrhea), I was hoping I'd be all right, because I really wanted to stay."

Talk to your mom. Let her know you don't want to go, you are not obligated to give a reason. But 'not wanting to go' or 'I don't feel like I like it' are very good reasons in themselves. If that fails, you can always claim you have sudden diarrhea, a headache or just generally feel sick. Act it out too: "Oh no, I really wanted to go, but now I feel sick." If you don't want to go, don't go. Ask your mom to really always check with you first before making commitments in your name. Finally, consider going to the party anyway. It might be fun; bring a friend for protection, or stay just for an hour.

If you don't want to go, then don't go. You can just send a card or flowers. You could claim you have to work, or are in a different country or state, and if those don't work, you can always 'suddenly' develop a bad case of diarrhea. Just be careful what you post on social media when you're supposedly at home within 5 feet of a toilet.

I understand, you want your own space to withdraw to and be left alone until the morning. This is a very legitimate need, and you shouldn't negotiate on that point. If all it is is the hotel room, why not book your own room? Perhaps ask the organizer to put you in your own room? Maybe there's three people who would love to share a room and party all night. I would do my best not to cancel entirely, but if you have to cancel, you can always get sudden diarrhea.

The best excuses are the simplest ones. You can pretend to be excited too and pretend that you really want to go, but on the morning of the party, suddenly 'develop diarrhea'. Say "I really was looking forward to coming, but I think it's best to stay at home instead of spending the evening in your bathroom."

Any excuse must always cover every aspect of the story. If you say you couldn't return a phone call from 6:00 to 11:00 PM because you 'went to the movies', that only covers about two hours of that time frame. So if your friends know some aspect, your excuse must include the fact that they know this: "Yeah, you know I was thinking about all that risk and had decided to just forgo it and go to the party anyway, but now I have a painful headache."

Say that unfortunately you can not attend. Explain that you're grateful for the invitation, but that you'll politely decline. If she tries to ask questions, just say that it's private.

You should go. Many times, people think things are awkward that turn out to be really fun. You should get to know her side of the family.

You should tell your friend the truth. If they are a real friend, they should understand. Say you are sorry that you couldn't come and that you really wish you could be there, but you couldn't because of financial difficulties.

You probably need to fake sick at this point. Try a migraine. Act like light and loud noises are bothering you and ask for ibuprofen, but don't really take it. Lie in bed and the dark until they leave. Then enjoy yourself until they come back.

Say you're sick. It always works. If your parents are with you, fake sick the morning of. They won't want you going to the party and spreading your "germs" around.

Just tell the truth, they'll appreciate that more and it will serve your friendship better than coming up with an excuse.

If you want to go, then say yes, but make it clear to him that you're coming along as a friend, e.g.: "Thanks for the invitation, I am happy to be one of your 4 friends at the party." Stick with the other 3 people at all times (it's more than enough other people to make any attempts at courting you difficult), enjoy the party and go home slightly before everyone else does. This way, there can be no misunderstandings. If you don't want to go, thank him for the invitation and make an excuse that you have something else happening at the same time.

Bullying you into attending an event is never acceptable. You are perfectly within your rights to stand your ground and simply repeat: "Thanks, but no thanks, we're already busy that day/night" and leave it at that. You do not have to explain yourselves, you do not have to go to something you don't want to go to and you do not have to concede to being bullied into going. It might also be a good idea to put some distance between yourselves and the overly-insistent hosts for awhile, until they learn some good manners.

In this case, just say what your concern is, people understand that being around an ex can be fraught with anxiety and difficulty. Say something like: "Yolande, I'd love to come but since Brad is going to be there, I don't feel comfortable and I won't be able to have a good time. I hope you understand but I just cannot come to this party because he'll be there. Happy to come to any event he's not at though!" Your friend will know to leave the ex out of future events they want to invite you to.

Family comes first in this instance because a) you care about your family and b) you want to go to the family event. Since your friend already knows you have the family event, it should be easier to explain to her that you need to do it ahead of her birthday party but that the two of you can do something special later in the day or week following to make up for missing it. If she were in the same position as you, she'd likely pick the family event too, it's a normal reaction and one that people cannot fault.

Yes, or maybe for an hour. After that, use a plausible excuse to leave.