Drinking on the job

Yeah. Eating.

I'm sure Nicole Richie has a phantom longing for a cheeseburger every now and then. Same thing.

 

Sirs, Madames,

I was out with a buddy on his birthday getting lit--I'd filed a story earlier in the day and figured I was home and cooled out. I got a call from a panicky editor 40 minutes before deadline. Word had it that a coach was axed. The beat guy said that he was assured it had not gone down but I thought it had the ring of truth. Six pints into my evening I cabbed it home, made two phone calls to try and firm it up (still a little squishy) and turned out a 800-word column on life (likely) after the coach. 50 minutes later I was finishing the pint I had left half-filled.

The ME came up to me the next day to thank me. I was in a cold sweat. He said he liked the column but also that "it didn't read like your other stuff."

YHS, etc

 

Enjoy:


And whilst we're at it, here's a Bloody Mary:

 

Wow! I always knew we drank a lot in this profession, but not THIS much.
Nice to know I picked the right career.

 

Hell, in my career I've had four coworkers and a boss in AA ... that I know of ...

It's a stressful job and unfortunately alcohol is a way for some to cope. But I see no problem drinking a beer or - yeah, I said it - two while working on a story at home off deadline. I also like to drink beer with sources off deadline, it's a great way to get information.

Just remember that even if you're not working you could be at any time.

In my younger days, the worst part for me were the hangovers. Can't tell you how many times I'd get a call about a breaking story on the weekend and not know where the hell my car was.

 

You answered that question for yourself. Don't condemn the rest of us who can have a beer and not be stressing out about it to where we get an F in college or screw up and get fired. One beer. We're talking one freakin' beer. I've never had a beer on the way to a game, but have ... on rare occasion ... had one while writing a gamer from home. It wasn't to calm me, make the words come easier or that I'll write better. It was because it tastes good and it's refreshing.
Four while writing, I agree, would be a problem.
But there's nothing wrong for having A SINGLE beer, and that was the original question. Is it wrong to have a beer while writing?
Is there a problem if I take some cough syrup which has 32 percent alcohol? How about a tylenol cold and flu that will make me drowsy within a half hour? I'd stay the hell away from them before I'd stay away from having A SINGLE beer.

 

And, by the way, I had a beer while writing that post.

 

Well, you'd have probably finished the post a lot faster if you hadn't been drinking that damn beer.

 

Probably so, but I wanted to prove to myself that I can have a beer, write and still be ... Wait a second. Gotta go get a towel. Started to slur as I read my copy. Maybe Lugz was write after all. One beer can spell doom for journalism. Now if I can find the keys to the car to test the other one-beer myth.

 

I enjoy beer. It is one of man's greatest inventions. But I don't see mixing it with work.

Obviously, it depends on deadlines. But I'd want to file ASAP so I could then relax with a beer. Not crack one open, take a sip, hammer a few grafs, take a sip, doublecheck the boxscore, take a sip, add quotes, take a sip, finish the story.

 

After 9 employee evals today, I'm ready...
Anyone for 23YO Evan Williams?

 

Taylee, you've got to get on board with where this started. This wasn't about having a beer at home while working. If you want to do that, I doubt anybody has a problem with it.

This was about stopping on the way to coverage and having a beer or two.