The Best Cold Beer Is None

Image and words by Kyle Lotherington

Having recently moved to a workplace without a drinking culture, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about what I once thought was inseparable from the work we do: booze. 

Where once I would instinctively reach for a red on a late Thursday night at the office, instead I’ll play a game of table tennis or pool to let off some steam. On Fridays I leave work early, opting to take advantage of great bars and restaurants, not the overstocked beer fridge. In fact, by breaking the work habit, I now drink less at home too. 

And you know what? I still feel as close to my co-workers, even without the boozy-Friday-pub-lunch-bonding-sessions.  

Turns out, it’s the way we think that brings us together, not the amount we drink together.

So take a moment to look at your work drinks from a different perspective by asking yourself the following questions:

• Does your agency always have alcohol available?

• Do your Friday drinks ever creep into Wednesday? Tuesday? Monday?

• Do you ever drink at your desk alone?

• Do you use stress or high workload as an excuse to drink?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions then perhaps it’s time you reassessed your professional proseccos, brainstorming beers & Wednesday wines.