Sunday Scaries: Does my career need alcohol?

The first time I got black out drunk I was 14 years old.

For the next 25 years I wouldn’t have said I was a regular drinker - I mean when I was in my early 20s I would go out Wednesday-Friday nights for the big nights at the locals and their drinks offers (shoutout anyone who went to Tracks at Epping when drinks were $1.80 or The Ranch when it was 4 for $10 before 9pm, causing a made rush to buy as many drinks as possible at 8:50pm) - but as a proper adult I only drank socially and rarely at home.

Leaving work a little earlier on a Friday to go to the pub with your colleagues was something I was generally very up for.

I might have one big session every month or two but it’s important to note my hangovers were always horrific, even as a teenager. 8 hour headaches, couldn’t even keep water or Panadol down.

A smarter person would have stopped drinking 20 years ago, but not me. Add resilience and persistence to my personality profile please.

Then just over a year ago when some friends came to visit and we drank a lot over a long weekend.

The following week I got stick with a common but deadly condition known as man flu, which was a common thing after a big weekend. I’d get the sniffles, lack energy and generally just loose my ability to do anything. (Only those that have suffered from manflu will understand)

And I’d had enough of it.

My body seemed to be telling me I wasn’t meant for the boozy life but I hadn’t listened.

So since then I’ve rarely drank, I’m not going to say I’m totally off it as sometimes I will feel like 1-2 and I’m also not going to push the booze free life on anyone - like your friend who is suddenly vegan and now can’t stop talking about how they are a vegan. I drank at my 40th birthday and the people on the dance floor at the Argyle seemed to support this decision, as one stranger said to me “I’ve never seen a dad dance like this”.

But recently I saw some friends post photos of themselves after an industry event going for more drinks. They looked like they were having a great time but it doesn’t appeal to me to be in that situation.

Great times, sure. But waking up with those hangovers, wasting the following day, seeing the $200 I spent on drinks. (Some of you might also notice you have a habit of withdrawing another $300-$350 from the ATM on these big nights out, not me but you, which adds up to a very expensive night or 1 grocery shop for 1 person in 2024)

So will not drinking affect my career? If I’m constantly the one opting out of post work drinks or not going to the kick-ons am I going to be the one missing out on opportunities?

I can go and not drink and I do, I’ll have a 0% but not hang around when the alcohol starts to kick in with the others but I’m not going to be there when the fun/bad decisions are made.

Obviously I’m not alone in this choice, I’ve noticed a big increase in people opting to go booze free and you only have to look at the amount of booze free options that are available these days as evidence.

But (and maybe this is an Australian thing) the default setting definitely still feels set to drinking, so us straight white males aren’t used to being in the minority.

It’s not going to make me want to drink again but it does feel like my positive life choice has consequences.