On Young Professional Drinking Culture

An inconvenient truth #AlGore

As a recent graduate, and as somebody who spent a lot of time being very social in college, I can’t say I’m surprised by the behavior of my peers right out of school. Indeed, it seems that in your early twenties, not only is it okay to binge drink on the weekends, but it is actually expected. Beginning a Saturday with a boozy brunch, followed up with a sports bar, and ending in a nightclub would hardly strike anybody as odd. But the popularity of this practice only serves to call attention to its flaws. Here’s what I mean:

First, if you are working an entry level job–in any field, mind you– chances are you put in lots of effort, and expend lots of energy in the work setting. It therefore follows that time spent outside of work would be well spent as time that rejuvenates you, re-energizes you, and even brings you to a point where you are excited to dive back in to whatever projects await you at work. The result would be greater performance and a superior mental state.

Beyond that, since one of the primary aims of work is usually to make a salary, thus supporting your life outside of work, we probably ought to strive to make our lives outside of work as rich and fulfilling as possible. That’s not to say that the only reason we go to work is to support a life outside of it, as we often derive lots of satisfaction from our work in and of itself–at least, that’s the goal. But many of the best parts of our lives occur outside the parameters work. Time with friends and family, romantic love, learning, reading, singing and dancing, and any number of other great activities happen off the clock.

Now considering those two points, that A) we want our time outside of work to be rejuvenating so we perform better and B) one of the primary reasons we work in the first place is to make the remainder of our lives as fulfilling as possible–I find it absolutely wild that so many young people spend their entire weekend drinking heavily.

Abusing alcohol is neither rejuvenating nor particularly fulfilling. Quite the opposite, in fact. It is probably true that partying can be both rejuvenating and fulfilling, but I fail to see why being overly drunk is of additional benefit. Cocktails, wine, beer, all of it is fun to enjoy, but when you can no longer think coherently or make good decisions, it really seems like you are taking two steps backwards. I believe that this is why after those binge weekends you sort of remember, you don’t feel particularly satisfied, energized, or focused.

In terms of why people choose to drink themselves into a hot mess from Friday night to Monday morning, I have a couple ideas. First, excessive alcohol produces a sort of fake confidence, and you can use the removal of all inhibitions to do stuff you otherwise would not have the confidence to do.

Another theory of mine is that excessive alcohol numbs all the tangible thought from your mind, and is therefore a way that someone who is unhappy with their current predicament might escape for a day (or three).

My last possible explanation is that in today’s world people are not sufficiently encouraged to pursue passions, interests, and hobbies in their own time unless those interests can bring about some desired end later on. Based on my observation, people don’t pursue hobbies that often, at least young people do not. If it can’t make you money, earn you prestige, or get you where you want to be in some other way, we are taught to abandon our efforts. Therefore, young people today literally do not know what to do with themselves during their free time, and drinking is an easy way to have an OK time of it.

Regardless of the reasons young professionals do what they do, it seems clear to me that there are better ways we could be spending our time. We owe it to ourselves to look in the mirror and figure out what’s important to us, what interests us. Free time is an opportunity to explore all that life has to offer, with no pressure. In a way, our hours outside of work are the ones that truly define us. So ask yourself, how do you want to define yourself this upcoming weekend?