Does anybody here not drink?

Question

Just curious, does anybody in finance / banking not drink?  Sounds like a ridiculous question, but I know NYC especially, has a huge drinking culture.  I'm wondering as to whether any of you have personally experienced, or have heard / seen of anyone, be successful, especially in the early stages of their career (SA, analyst, etc) without drinking?  Socializing and fitting in is part of assimilating with the company culture and company politics, so how do those that don't drink circumvent this issue?

Eddie Braverman · Accepted Answer

Alright, if you are easily offended, skip this post. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

The second-in-command at my commodities firm didn't drink. This guy was a total fucking freakshow. He was one of these weird germ-o-phobes that was always washing his hands and hated to be touched by anyone. After about a half hour around him, you could tell that he wasn't quite right, that there was something truly malevolent about him.

Eddie Braverman · Answer

Marcus_HalberstramEdmundo... admit it... the raging alcoholic degenerate accomplice in your story is you.

I'm a bit skeptical though... it that situation, everyone would either have the "its not my place to tell him" or "I've got to tell him" perspective before he got married.  In any case, great story.

I'm afraid the drunk in my story made me look like a choir boy. He went out in a blaze of glory, though. I'll say that much for him.

You must not know many commodities traders, Marcus.

MoneyKingdom · Answer

On evenings that I do get to enjoy NYC nightlife, occasional encounters with insane traders are not too far-fetched.  Everytime I see guys fighting at a nice place up here, I always think to myself "that d-bag probably forgot to cover his position today..."

Traders drink more than a sailor.  To thier credit however, a good reason is always given as to the occasion of the binge.  If they had a good day trading - "I made $XXX,XXX today lets go get hammered, in contrast if they lost a bunch of money, they drink because "life is short".

Eddie Braverman · Answer

SACWhere the hell do these insane traders hang out ? I've never even seen a fight in NYC and I'm out frequently on weekdays. The trader lifestyle totally sounds like my kinda thing..

But if you're looking for traders, you'll have better luck finding them in dive bars in Chelsea and Brooklyn than at any trendy nightclub.

You have to understand the trader persona. It's not about impressing anyone except other traders.

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Does anybody here not drink?

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Does anybody here not drink?

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