Dealing with Alcohol in Professional Settings

By Jill Gonzalez

Drinking alcohol is a very common occurrence in our society. It is a popular social activity and it is widely accepted as a form of celebration and reward. When it comes to drinking alcohol in professional settings, however, the lines between what is appropriate and what isn’t can become blurred.

If you have undergone alcohol addiction treatment, then trying to deal with the presence of alcohol in professional settings can be a big challenge. For the most part, alcohol is only present in limited professional settings, such as holiday parties that are held outside of regular work hours and that are located somewhere other than the office.

But what do you do when you are faced with alcohol in professional settings on a regular basis?

Drinking with your Professional Peers

Some professionals, especially those who work in large cities, routinely report that there is a certain expectation for them to socialize with their coworkers after hours. Whether this expectation is in the form of a holiday party or meeting after work for drinks, the pressure is on these individuals to show up and participate or risk being ostracized at work.In fact, studies have shown that male nondrinkers earn 12.8 percent less than males who regularly drink in professional settings after hours. Female nondrinkers typically earn 25.5 percent less than females who drink with their coworkers.

If the company you work for likes to throw parties or host other types of social events on a regular basis, the odds are pretty good that there will be a certain expectation for you to show up and socialize for a while at each of them. People who do not show up are likely to be on a “list” of no-shows and may be categorized as uncooperative or as “not being a team player.” Both of these labels could, of course, inhibit a person’s chances of being promoted to a better position at some point down the road.

Choosing What Is Best for You

Ultimately, the decision that you make is an entirely personal thing. If you have undergone alcohol treatment, then the last thing you will want or need to do is open yourself up to possibly relapsing. Even though you need to learn how to be around alcohol without indulging in it, it would be a bit unreasonable to expect you to repeatedly place yourself in situations where everyone around you is drinking and expecting you to do the same.

If you have not undergone alcohol rehab but you have a family history of alcohol abuse, you will need to exercise a tremendous amount of caution when it comes to drinking at all, but especially in professional settings.

Know the Causes of Alcohol Abuse

It is important to know the causes of alcohol abuse, because knowing them can be extremely helpful when trying to make decisions regarding your alcohol intake.

• History of mental illness. People who suffer from any type of mental illness, including depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder, need to exercise extreme caution before indulging in alcohol. The prescription medications that you are taking for your mental illness probably have warnings on them advising you not to drink alcohol. Even if they do not contain these warnings, however, you need to know that you have an increased risk of developing an addiction — and dangerous health issues — by mixing alcohol and prescription drugs.
• Family history of alcoholism. The genetic and environmental links concerning alcoholism have not been clearly defined by scientists, but the link does exist. You are at a much higher risk for developing an alcohol addiction if any members of your family are alcoholics, whether or not they have been diagnosed or not.
• Stress and/or major life changes. When major upheavals or stressful situations occur in our lives, it is very easy to start relying on alcohol to see us through these occurrences. If you find yourself going through significant life changes or increased stress, you should pay careful attention to the amount of alcohol that you are consuming.
• Peer pressure. It doesn’t matter how old or young you are, if you are around other people who are drinking there is always going to be a certain amount of pressure applied to you to conform to what everyone else is doing. If this pressure becomes too much for you in professional settings, you will need to find creative ways to disengage yourself from those types of activities.

Value Your Health Over Your Job

When it comes down to it, your health and well being are more important than a job. In today’s tough economic climate, it is certainly unpleasant to think about having to look for another job, but it is not impossible to find other opportunities.

If you find yourself struggling to deal with alcohol in professional settings, you owe it to yourself to stop participating in them. After all, it is ultimately better to have your coworkers think less of you than to develop a drinking problem that might not only wind up getting you fired, but that will cause you problems in other ways for the rest of your life.