During weekends, after a long week of busy work and productivity, it is already pretty common for officemates to go out and have some fun. That is pretty normal, I suppose. It all depends on the kind of people whom you are with as to the kind of activity that you can pursue.
Some go bowling, or dining out, or ice skating, while a lot of them, unfortunately, go drinking. These people usually go out to bars and have some shots of alcohol, saying that this substance loosens up themselves and allow them to be more of themselves.
I don't know, but for some reason, I can't help but flinch at the thought of being unable to have some control over myself. I can loosen up, party, and be truthful to the people around me, but I will never ever want to lose perfect control over myself. Yes, I do get wild at times, but not at the expense of my sense of self and reputation--not to mention that drinking alcohol brings with it a number of diseases that may not be contacted in the first place.
The problem is that in an office, one has to be somewhat in good terms with fellow officemates in order to come out with good results. If I refuse to drink with them, they may take this badly and affect the overall working relationship. So what do I have to do in order to keep up and stick with my own life beliefs?
What I usually do is to convince them to do something else instead, like watching movies or drinking coffee. It also helps that you tell them outright what you believe in and that you do not drink. Though cases of alcohol-hate such as mine are a bit rare, I'm sure they would understand.
I still say No to alcohol!
