Finance culture is so centered around alcohol

I don’t drink for personal reasons and I really find it challenging to be a non-drinker in the IB world. Every team dinner, team happy hour, client outing, MPs, etc. is always alcohol focused, and I’m almost always the only person not drinking. I generally consider myself to be a pretty mature, self-assured kind of guy and I’ve always been fine in terms of still being engaged at these events, but sometimes it still gets to me to be the ONLY one always sober. I have a brother in tech and the culture there is not nearly as alcohol-centric. How have others dealt with this?

17 Comments
 

Just stick to your guns, I don't think there's necessarily a strategy to follow here....I have plenty of colleagues who don't drink for personal or religious reasons, believe me nobody is looking at you and wondering why you don't have a beer in your hand....just go to the events, make conversation, don't be awkward and nobody thinks twice about it

 

You will be surprised how much pressure is there from peers and seniors to drink. 

 

lol the amount of muppets who clearly don’t enjoy drinking/clubbing but do it just to fit in is crazy

saw plenty of fellow interns rave about going to the club just to sit on the sidelines

 

I quit drinking 2 years ago. I don't think anyone cares. Just say that "I don't really drink alcohol." No one cares. If things get too sloppy, then leave. At that point no one will notice. Don't make it a bigger issue than it needs to be. I had Sikh and Muslim friends in IB who didn't drink, and it was never an issue. Since I stopped drinking, also not an issue professionally. 

 

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