Who Still Drinks With Lunch?
Oct 2, 2013, 8:08 pm
#61
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One of the things I find interesting is that the shift in the acceptability of drinking at lunch occurred concurrently with the general degradation of American working conditions: cell phones putting employees on the clock constantly, stagnation of wages/the massive unpaid productivity increase of the American worker, decline of pensions - basically what began in 1990 and accelerated after 2000.
Oct 2, 2013, 11:07 pm
#63
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How common or socially acceptable it is to drink alcohol with lunch is very much culture dependent. In the US it's frowned upon in most corners of business, so you'll see very few professionals drinking at lunch on weekdays. In other countries where I've worked it's different. For example, workers in CA and the UK are more willing to hoist a pint at lunch and consider it within the bounds of professionalism. In months spent in Asia I've seldom seen drinking at lunch there, but I think that's as much because I've usually eaten lunch at company cafeterias and quick-order lunch counters, where alcohol literally isn't on the menu. We've drank generously at dinner to make up for it. 
Oct 3, 2013, 10:07 am
#64
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Having a drink at lunch during law school is not that uncommon.
Oct 3, 2013, 2:44 pm
#65
Join Date: Oct 2004
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An alcohol ban where driving is involved seems fair enough, though not sure I see the link between a cut hand and drugs/drink.
During my time living in the US, I found there was a big contradiction between "society" tut-tutting the use of alcohol (though to be fair, this wasn't quite so true in Chicago), whilst the attitudes to drink-driving from my British perspective were circa 1970. I encountered many people who not only thought it acceptable to have half a dozen beers and drive home at night, but were quite prepared to tell everyone what they had done. Do that in the UK and you can expect to get shunned. Probably no coincidence that deaths on UK roads per km driven are a fraction of the carnage on US highways.
During my time living in the US, I found there was a big contradiction between "society" tut-tutting the use of alcohol (though to be fair, this wasn't quite so true in Chicago), whilst the attitudes to drink-driving from my British perspective were circa 1970. I encountered many people who not only thought it acceptable to have half a dozen beers and drive home at night, but were quite prepared to tell everyone what they had done. Do that in the UK and you can expect to get shunned. Probably no coincidence that deaths on UK roads per km driven are a fraction of the carnage on US highways.
Oct 3, 2013, 5:20 pm
#66
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I can't remember ever drinking at lunch on a workday but by no means would one drink put me under the table. Amazing how some of you feel that having one drink would really put a strain on the rest of your workday.
Oct 3, 2013, 5:35 pm
#67
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Everyone has a different tolerance for alcohol, based upon unique biochemistry and their history of alcohol consumption. That is why one person may be unaffected by a drink, while another's productivity would be affected.
Oct 3, 2013, 5:47 pm
#68
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Oct 4, 2013, 7:24 am
#69
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However the sad truth is that alcohol is a major factor in road -traffic deaths. In the US in 2010, drunk driving accounted for 31% of the deaths on US road, a total of 10,228 human beings. By comparison in the UK in 2012, it accounted for 17% of reported deaths. That's 4,637 American lives. Forget the "war or terror", you need a war on drunk-drivers.
And at the same time, the UK's alcohol consumption per capita is 50% higher than the United States.
Oct 4, 2013, 8:51 am
#70
Join Date: Oct 2004
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Not trying to be smug in the slightest and I wasn't attributing it just to alcohol. I appreciate that there are other factors such as lack of seat-belt use, plus US driving test standards are poor compared to most of the rest of the Western world.
However the sad truth is that alcohol is a major factor in road -traffic deaths. In the US in 2010, drunk driving accounted for 31% of the deaths on US road, a total of 10,228 human beings. By comparison in the UK in 2012, it accounted for 17% of reported deaths. That's 4,637 American lives. Forget the "war or terror", you need a war on drunk-drivers.
And at the same time, the UK's alcohol consumption per capita is 50% higher than the United States.
However the sad truth is that alcohol is a major factor in road -traffic deaths. In the US in 2010, drunk driving accounted for 31% of the deaths on US road, a total of 10,228 human beings. By comparison in the UK in 2012, it accounted for 17% of reported deaths. That's 4,637 American lives. Forget the "war or terror", you need a war on drunk-drivers.
And at the same time, the UK's alcohol consumption per capita is 50% higher than the United States.
Oct 7, 2013, 2:03 am
#71
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A couple of years ago I was visiting a client in the US.
She took me out for lunch, and we started talking about what we liked to eat in restaurants around the world.
Then she said "but in Europe, do you drink at lunch ??". So I replied "well yes some people do, some don't, if you do it nobody really cares, I sometimes have a beer or some wine".
She looked enviously at me and said "oh how I would love to be able to do that here in the US as well".
She took me out for lunch, and we started talking about what we liked to eat in restaurants around the world.
Then she said "but in Europe, do you drink at lunch ??". So I replied "well yes some people do, some don't, if you do it nobody really cares, I sometimes have a beer or some wine".
She looked enviously at me and said "oh how I would love to be able to do that here in the US as well".
He ordered 2 bottles of wine between 9 of us. The trainer declined and stuck to water.
3 weeks later there was a rumour going round that the London team were alcoholics that couldn't get through the day without a drink
Oct 10, 2013, 9:01 am
#72
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I never drink during work at lunchtime - mainly because it makes me sleepy. The practice has declined a lot in the UK anyway. But it's not usually forbidden.
I do find it enjoyably indulgent occasionally to have a wine or beer at lunchtime when on holiday - really gives me that "holiday " feeling.
I do find it enjoyably indulgent occasionally to have a wine or beer at lunchtime when on holiday - really gives me that "holiday " feeling.
Oct 10, 2013, 1:46 pm
#74
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The place we ended up at today didn't have alcohol 
But! They let me bring in a six pack I bought at the gas station. Crisis averted!
But! They let me bring in a six pack I bought at the gas station. Crisis averted!
