Should Alcohol Be Part of the Workplace?

As a life-long nondrinker, I completely understand that the world has always and will always revolve around alcohol. I'm not blind to the fact that more than half of the country's population drinks alcohol, and it has long been incorporated into social gatherings, holidays, and even the workplace.

The decision to not drink is one that I am very comfortable with, and I am also comfortable being around those who are drinking (to an extent). I've seen the bad side of having too much to drink where people can be physically aggressive or say awful things and I've also been at work lunches and watched a coworker drink three mimosas and be able to drive themselves back to the office and do their job perfectly the rest of the day. Granted, I don't understand alcohol tolerance or really drinking culture, specifically "wino's" or those who are obsessed with wine. I can't really say how many jokes about drinking during the weekend I've endured while sitting in on a Monday morning Zoom meeting with coworkers that I had to awkwardly laugh at. Even though I don't get the importance of drinking in people's lives, I don't judge them for doing--I just can't relate to the conversation which can feel extremely isolating.

Feeling isolated at work--where I spend most of my day--can be detrimental to my self-esteem and confidence at doing my job.

My first corporate job gave me a boss who loved wine and kept some in the kitchen at the office, and they would serve it if we ever had any company-wide lunches. It was part of their personality, but it was also fully accepted by my coworkers. I would just decline any offer for a glass of wine, and that was fine with me. What gave me anxiety was how people looked at me after I said, "no thanks" or how I only ever ordered Diet Coke when we were out at restaurants and had to awkwardly bring my glass of soda up for the "cheers" of it all. The potential of going to a bar for the first time in my life for my office's happy hour induced panic and anxiety in me. I was usually too shy to announce to the whole workplace that I had never had a sip of alcohol so I could only assume what they thought of me, which I felt might be the worst version of them.

At my next job, I avoided telling anyone I didn't drink. At first I felt bad about it, but then I realized that if someone really wanted to know they would ask. I could tell them my reasons and just hope they accepted me for me. I have found that the assumptions people make of you for not drinking is that you're either a religious freak or had a bad experience with drinking. That's it. When I kept going to happy hour, I never ordered more than a Diet Coke or water and no one ever said anything.

The feeling of finally being completely accepted, just as I would do for a coworker if the situation was reversed was a sense of relief I hadn't felt in a long time.

I have read and watched a lot of stories (mainly from TikTok where people can be more open and honest, from my POV) from people who feel gifting bottles of alcohol as part of an office gift or freely and openly drinking in the workplace should be banned. Either they have had experiences where someone close to them died of alcoholism, they themselves are sober and don't want to have to worry about the temptations of a drink provided to them by their boss, or they feel it's too risky or unprofessional, that idea of thinking has quietly been shut down time and time again. Some industries will have offices with an open bar as part of the office, and it's been accepted for ages (public relations, advertising, the list goes on). In a time where neutrality and acceptance in the workplace has been pushed to the top of the list of priorities by human resources, why hasn't alcohol or even discussions of alcohol in the workplace been banned?

I have heard cringeworthy stories of someone getting too drunk at a work party or dinner and doing or saying something off-color or damaging. I always wondered while at work lunches or dinners where people were downing alcohol, aren't you worried about what you'll do or say? This is your livelihood and you could be risking it all? But to people who have been drinking their whole lives, they want to be able to let loose and have fun after a hard day at work. Most of the time, they have control. They know themselves and what they can and can't handle. If only most people could be that way, and if only you absolutely loved everyone you worked with, but that most likely won't happen. There will always be judgment for whatever choices you are making in life. But should the workplace be held to a higher standard? Exclusively work from home jobs still have virtual happy hours, hybrid jobs still give you the option to work in an office or go out to a bar or restaurant for happy hour, and those completely back to the normalcy of a 100% in-office job have to go through the most with office politics. Workplaces are becoming more casual, but I would hope some people would consider sensitivity towards employees in all sectors.