My coping mechanism involves just giving myself a quick break within the social event. Head off to the bathroom once in a while, spend some time in the stall recharging and then go back out. You don't need to leave the social function completely to recharge.
Well said. The criticism comes from the generation that made us Gen Y's into the adults we are becoming. People born in the 1990's are beginning to enter the workplace, with self-confidence, and a general refusal to be treated like a doormat. If this becomes misconstrued as "entitled," or "spoiled," than so be it.