I prefer dumbbells to a regular benchpress, but it's largely because I don't have an exercise partner and I don't want to get trapped underneath a barbell if I can't lift it.
If you lift in a gym, one option is dragging a bench into a power rack [1]; this will allow you to bail using the safety bars. Another is to use an olympic bench station (if you have one) to hang the bar up onto a lower hook. If you can't even lift the bar, there's the option of benching without clips [2].
No need to miss out!
[1] : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru0scbx8DuI [2] : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGkRDcMeSTY