How Much Do You Drink?
"If you took all the heavy drinkers out of finance, you'd be left with like two bond analysts and an ATM machine."
I actually laughed out loud when I heard the above quote on last week's episode of Blue Bloods (great show, by the way). Detective Danny Reagan was questioning a couple of BSD's at what appeared to be a pseudo-boiler room over the ring death of a young associate in a boxing match they'd set up. He asked if the kid was a heavy drinker and that's what they told him.
It was certainly true in my day. We even had a semi-rigid drinking schedule worked out: Monday through Thursday you'd have a few drinks to calm down at get to sleep at night. I'd like to say a couple of glasses of wine with dinner, but we were always in the office for dinner. Friday was always a big day. Friday was the day you got annihilated after the close. The market closed at 1 in the afternoon in California, and we were in the bar by 1:30. Friday afternoons were all about blowing off steam by power drinking until you blacked out.
Saturday was the one day of the week that you were actually social. There would usually be a dinner of some kind with friends (although after awhile your only friends were other finance guys and their dates) followed by a party of some kind. The drinking that went on Saturday nights was a little more refined than the Friday blowout.
Sundays (at least at the beginning of my career) were spent at the park near my house with my dog, a blanket, a 6-pack, and whatever Napolean Hill-esque You'll-Be-A-Billionaire-Someday book I was reading that week. About 3 in the afternoon I'd start dreading the week ahead of me so I'd switch up to gin and tonic or rum and coke and then start the whole process over again.
I'm wondering if it's similar on the Street today. Is drinking a part of your everyday life? I've often thought that the bar for alcoholism needs to be raised for those working in finance. The rule of thumb seems to be that if you consistently have two units of alcohol per day (2 beers, 2 shots, etc...) that you're an alcoholic. I just don't think that's realistic for those in finance, at least not when I was doing it. Maybe five a day is a better number. Or maybe I'm just a drunk.
Of course, if you listen to Alcoholics Anonymous (who are no doubt shilling for new members) everyone is an alcoholic. Here is their 20-question test. If you answer just one of the questions in the affirmative, you might be an alcoholic. Two and you're probably an alcoholic; three and you're definitely an alcoholic (according to AA, anyway).
Has the boozy culture of Wall Street changed over the years? Do you guys still drink every night after work? How many drinks do you usually have in a week?






Comments
is that flake in your
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The less I drink, the more I
The less I drink, the more I consider the long term, and I don't see Wall Street in that future. Lately I haven't been drinking at all and I consider becoming an accountant, being a part time financial advisor, and spending weekends hiking. Who knows, I might actually have time for friends and family.
I might even get a dog.
YOU JUST GOT TROLLED
http://www.troll.me/images/red-foreman322/dont-you...
Sounds about right on the
Sounds about right on the drinking....I dont know about you but the Blow is a little bit more pure now (so I hear)
Eventus stultorum magister.
a lot but I drank wayyyy more
a lot but I drank wayyyy more in undergrad...even more in highschool.
I went from Grain Alcohol and spiritual drinks (actually made from indians) > Bacardi 151 > craft beer and watered down rum and cokes
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UFOinsider: The less I drink,
The less I drink, the more I consider the long term, and I don't see Wall Street in that future. Lately I haven't been drinking at all and I consider becoming an accountant, being a part time financial advisor, and spending weekends hiking. Who knows, I might actually have time for friends and family.
I might even get a dog.
Dude, you're the biggest bum-out on WSO.
Definitely drink 4-5 days a
Definitely drink 4-5 days a week, it seems to be part of the culture in finance. As long as you work out and don't get blackout, it's not too bad.
gucci
gucci
Oreos: UFOinsider: The less
The less I drink, the more I consider the long term, and I don't see Wall Street in that future. Lately I haven't been drinking at all and I consider becoming an accountant, being a part time financial advisor, and spending weekends hiking. Who knows, I might actually have time for friends and family.
I might even get a dog.
Dude, you're the biggest bum-out on WSO.
Drink deep the koolade, kid
YOU JUST GOT TROLLED
http://www.troll.me/images/red-foreman322/dont-you...
UFOinsider: Oreos: UFOins
The less I drink, the more I consider the long term, and I don't see Wall Street in that future. Lately I haven't been drinking at all and I consider becoming an accountant, being a part time financial advisor, and spending weekends hiking. Who knows, I might actually have time for friends and family.
I might even get a dog.
Dude, you're the biggest bum-out on WSO.
Drink deep the koolade, kid
Do one with your kid shit! Get off your high horse, not everyone is unhappy, stop spreading your bum-out.
A lot
A lot
Unforseen: a lot but I drank
a lot but I drank wayyyy more in undergrad...even more in highschool.
I went from Grain Alcohol and spiritual drinks (actually made from indians) > Bacardi 151 > craft beer and watered down rum and cokes
I bet you lost your virginity at 12 years old and are on pace to break Wilt the Stilts record.
Eventus stultorum magister.
A lot. I wouldn't call it
A lot. I wouldn't call it everyday but I certainly would qualify as an alcoholic according to that test, although I'd imagine very few people wouldn't in some way or another. In a somewhat related note, I have read studies before that show that the abuse of drugs and alcohol is much higher among those with higher IQ's. Interesting, considering along with high stress alcohol and drugs is a pretty solid coping mechanism.
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Oreos: UFOinsider: Oreos:
The less I drink, the more I consider the long term, and I don't see Wall Street in that future. Lately I haven't been drinking at all and I consider becoming an accountant, being a part time financial advisor, and spending weekends hiking. Who knows, I might actually have time for friends and family.
I might even get a dog.
Dude, you're the biggest bum-out on WSO.
Drink deep the koolade, kid
Fuck off with your kid shit! Get off your high horse, not everyone is unhappy, stop spreading your bum-out.
(1) You're easily a decade younger than me and (2) I'm happier now than I've ever been. I was a heavy drinker for years and now that I've pretty much cooled it, I'm not so hellbent on taking over the world. I'm just thinking of finding a less hectic job, perhaps within finance, maybe not.
I fail to see how's that's so bad? Cool your tits, buddy.
YOU JUST GOT TROLLED
http://www.troll.me/images/red-foreman322/dont-you...
UFOinsider: Oreos: UFOins
The less I drink, the more I consider the long term, and I don't see Wall Street in that future. Lately I haven't been drinking at all and I consider becoming an accountant, being a part time financial advisor, and spending weekends hiking. Who knows, I might actually have time for friends and family.
I might even get a dog.
Dude, you're the biggest bum-out on WSO.
Drink deep the koolade, kid
Fuck off with your kid shit! Get off your high horse, not everyone is unhappy, stop spreading your bum-out.
(1) You're easily a decade younger than me and (2) I'm happier now than I've ever been. I was a heavy drinker for years and now that I've pretty much cooled it, I'm not so hellbent on taking over the world. I'm just thinking of finding a less hectic job, perhaps within finance, maybe not.
I fail to see how's that's so bad? Cool your tits, buddy.
Dude I don't care about your drinking, I'm just pretty bored of every post of yours being an invite to the UFO pitty party, no one wants to hear it.
Oreos: UFOinsider: Oreos:
The less I drink, the more I consider the long term, and I don't see Wall Street in that future. Lately I haven't been drinking at all and I consider becoming an accountant, being a part time financial advisor, and spending weekends hiking. Who knows, I might actually have time for friends and family.
I might even get a dog.
Dude, you're the biggest bum-out on WSO.
Drink deep the koolade, kid
Fuck off with your kid shit! Get off your high horse, not everyone is unhappy, stop spreading your bum-out.
(1) You're easily a decade younger than me and (2) I'm happier now than I've ever been. I was a heavy drinker for years and now that I've pretty much cooled it, I'm not so hellbent on taking over the world. I'm just thinking of finding a less hectic job, perhaps within finance, maybe not.
I fail to see how's that's so bad? Cool your tits, buddy.
Dude I don't care about your drinking, I'm just pretty bored of every post of yours being an invite to the UFO pitty party, no one wants to hear it.
How about fuck you? Get some sleep and ease off on the coffee, tough guy. Or meet me at the corner of Wall and Broad at 5PM today so I can fuck you up.
YOU JUST GOT TROLLED
http://www.troll.me/images/red-foreman322/dont-you...
UFOinsider: How about fuck
Eddie - very heavily. I still
Out after work ~2 days a week
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
Oreos: UFOinsider: How
YOU JUST GOT TROLLED
http://www.troll.me/images/red-foreman322/dont-you...
UFOinsider: Oreos: UFOins
Oreos: a light hearted
YOU JUST GOT TROLLED
http://www.troll.me/images/red-foreman322/dont-you...
Who dabbles in the bah-say,
Eventus stultorum magister.
UFOinsider: Oreos: UFOins
(No subject)
Too much
See my Monday Morning Brainteasers
For me personally, an average
Only a couple of beers spread
Head of Metal Website: www.headofmetal.com
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Drink way more frequently
---------------------------
BossMode
I'm not sure if it's
"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."
Couple of gin tonics 2-3 days
I can hold my own, one night
WSO's COO (Chief Operating Orangutan) | My story | Connect with me on Linkedin.
2013 WSO Conference
I was usually so burned out
Who does Blow and how often?
Eventus stultorum magister.
Johnny Ringo: Unforseen: a
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Charlie Sheen said that AA
Unforseen: Johnny
Eventus stultorum magister.
My tolerance now is pretty
|| But feeling good and enjoying life are prerequisites to success, not by products of it- Midas Mulligan Magoo ||
I am now trying to cut back.
Work hard, play hard.
In college I drank during the
This made me LOL and it's
UFOinsider: Oreos: UFOins
"death is nothing, but to live defeated is to die everyday" ~Napolean Bonaparte
I basically don't drink
Drink hard Fri and Sat,
Come on dewey, join the
Eventus stultorum magister.
If I'm not at work, I'm
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My problem is that I really
drexelalum11: If I'm not at
"Social cohesion and puritanical morality place roughly on my list of concerns between whether I'll pick up jock itch at the gym this week (not likely, since I don't go the gym) and whether it'll rain in Christchurch, New Zealand next Tuesday."
-Eddie
I used to drink heavily.
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Pretty much just a weekend
My name is Nicky, but you can call me Dre.
Cacaine doesn't give you a
Eventus stultorum magister.