Making connections is possible for nondrinker
Q: What do you do if you choose not to drink, for personal or religious reasons, and most gettogethers or outings with friends and colleagues are centered around drinking?
A: As I’ve progressed through my academic and professional career, I have quickly found that most social and networking events take place in environments involving alcohol in some capacity. Recreational drinking has become intertwined with climbing the social and organizational ladder at times, and it is something I have become acutely aware of as someone who does not drink due to my Islamic values.
These situations leave me grappling with whether I should put myself in uncomfortable or compromising situations for the sake of developing relationships with my co-workers, or politely decline and risk being labeled as unsociable or missing out on valuable connections.
It’s not that those who drink or environments where alcohol is present are inherently bad, but in my experience I have found myself overcompensating for my sober state and not being able to connect with people on a personal level due to their compromised state.
In general, I don’t think that being sober has deterred me from any major opportunities or connections. My advice would be to tell your colleagues or friends that you don’t drink and would prefer sometimes hanging out in a setting that does not center around alcohol. Maybe they’ll take that into account when planning the next outing or networking session. Or, depending on your comfort level, you could go mingle for a bit and leave before things get too crazy.
Make an effort to get to know people one on one outside of these events — go out to lunch, invite them over for dinner, etc.