I like this post a lot, thank you for doing such extensive research. I agree with about 60% of it. Yes i think drinking is glorified in the tech industry. Yes t

I like this post a lot, thank you for doing such extensive research. I agree with about 60% of it. Yes i think drinking is glorified in the tech industry. Yes the place I work at prides itself on company happy hours and every company event has alcohol (and we even have a new rule, no hard alcohol at large events because well.. you know). Yes it's backwards that a major part of conferences is the party scene, and somewhat disconcerting to hear JSConf was selling party-only tickets. This perpetuates a drinking culture that no industry needs. However, even with those flaws, but I don't see it as mandatory, exclusive, or a barrier to entry. Maybe it's just where I have worked, but there are people I work with who are teetotallers - lets not kid around though they are in the minority. When my team celebrated a huge event, we had a bottle of champagne accompanied by a nice bottle of non-alcoholic sparking lemonade / beverage. It wasn't about the drinking, it was about sharing the celebration. I do drink on my own time during the weekends, but I do not drink at the office or at most work events - If I have a drink, it'll be A drink, not multiple. It's mostly because I go to the gym at night and it's a lot harder after drinking. So I avoid it, pour myself a glass of whatever else is available, and haven't had anyone ask me why I'm not drinking alcohol.