“It's Like Prohibition” ⇒ Why Not Use This Opportunity to Reject Boring Drinking Parties Forever?

From ACIDHOUSE, INC., this is Tetsuya Ashida.

On April 21, Kirin Holdings released survey results on drinking and alcohol harassment. Asked which drinking gatherings they wanted to bring back after COVID subsided, respondents ranked “cherry-blossom viewing,” “year-end parties,” and “birthday parties” highest. Conversely, “entertaining business clients” topped the list of gatherings people thought could stay gone (64.8%), followed by “regular company drinking parties” (61.9%) and “New Year parties” (49.5%). The company says many people tend to want to avoid work-related drinking gatherings. Regarding anxiety and stress about drinking gatherings after COVID, the most common concern was “being made to attend gatherings I do not want to attend,” such as client entertainment (36.0%). Responses expressing concern about alcohol harassment also reached 12.1%, exceeding one in ten. The survey was conducted from March to April among 1,000 men and women nationwide, in their 20s through 50s, who drink at least once a month.

Source: 64.8% Say Client-Entertainment Drinking Parties Are Unnecessary (LinkedIn Editorial Team)

I am writing this while the third state of emergency over the novel coronavirus is in effect, and restaurants have been banned from serving alcohol all day.

While concerned about the impact on restaurant businesses, I want to use this opportunity to rethink deeply what it means to share a drinking occasion with someone, and I strongly hope for the eradication of pointless drinking parties.

I Like Alcohol, but I Do Not Like Drinking Parties

To explain my own situation, I have enjoyed going out for drinks since I was young, so I like alcohol itself (although my liver is not in great shape, so I am gradually phasing out drinking and only drink in tropical places or at the beach).

But honestly, I was never comfortable with work drinking parties.

The reason is simple: I could never enjoy lectures disguised as drinking parties, listening to bragging, flattering seniors or juniors, sports-team-style rituals, or attendance affecting company relationships, work progress, and promotion.

Seen that way, the same applies to company events you do not feel like attending.

Now I run a one-person corporation remotely. I sometimes dine with people I can really enjoy talking to, but I have eliminated 99% of work drinking parties.

Make Offline Life a Sanctuary for Only What You Truly Enjoy

I lived abroad as a digital nomad in 2019, followed by the pandemic, and my liver has worsened as I have aged. The same applies to private drinking gatherings and meals: I now cut out 99% of them.

I used to DJ in clubs (the kind that play music) for a fairly long time, so I generally liked sharing drinks with lots of people, including people I barely knew.

But looking back now, although there were plenty of enjoyable moments, there was also a great deal of exhausting time spent being considerate or dealing with people whose vibe did not suit mine.

Perhaps work drinking parties and private ones are not actually that different.

After these experiences and more than a year of the pandemic, the conclusion I reached was this:

As the introduction of remote work has shown, it is entirely possible to minimize what truly requires being there in person, and “routine errands should be completed online.”

Escape Pointless Drinking Parties as the Sense of Obligation Rapidly Disappears

Until now, Japanese people have been strongly required to “read the room to get through life.”

As part of that, pointless drinking parties, justified as “communication through drinking” despite offering no benefit while burdening our health, wallets, and precious private time, are finally becoming exceptions.

We should welcome this trend wholeheartedly.

Even so, if the view that companies should hold drinking parties remains entrenched, these are “routine business” matters, so do them online.

Before COVID, I had already posted “[Clueless, Terrible Companies] I Do Not Want to Go to Your Year-End Party! This Is Not the Showa Era—How Long Will You Keep This Up?? [All Harm, No Benefit]”, but COVID has made the issue even clearer.

We do not know how many states of emergency will follow or when this will truly end.