[LEAKYSEALS951]

Had to do this exact same thing just a couple of weeks ago with an old friend.
It sucked.
I tried to focus on what we'd do when he got out, trying to blow it off as "Dude- that sucked- you had a bad night- let's get together and do such and such next week." If anything, to try to put some sense of normalcy into what was anything but normal, and a humiliating and embarrassing situation for him at best.
I tried to make it clear that whatever demons he had faced the night before he could choose to move on from at his own pace and not be embarrassed by when he was out of there.

It was a bit lame, but what else can you do? What made it even more awkward was the "suicide prevention" male nurse sitting in the corner trying to pretend he was doing work, but who was so obviously there to prevent him from trying to further hurt himself.

Even worse, his college age son was in the waiting room- he couldn't pull himself together enough to come see his dad. Can't say I blame him.

I wasn't invited by him (not disinvited either- but I guess you typically dont invite people over for a stomach pumping party in the ER), and ordinarily I wouldn't have gone withing 100 feet of something like that on my own accord- but his girlfriend who called the ambulance (and my wife) insisted. It's just not my style. I was completely uncomfortable- especially driving over to the hospital, and it got even worse when his family members were in the waiting room (I was overcome by the feeling of "I have no business being here- they are the priority") but in retrospect, I'm glad I did.