Booze at work?

My attention was attracted to today's article in the Northwest Herald about booze at work. A Bloomberg News article about a keg at the San Francisco headquarters of www.yelp.com/ reminded me of a few visits to the dining room of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, D.C. in 1994. I was the guest of an employee.

After we went through the serving line in the cafeteria, we passed the beverage area.

"Would you like a glass of wine or a beer?" she asked.

"Huh?"

Not only could you have an alcoholic beverage with your lunch, you could take it to your cubicle!

Nobody was sloshed. All seemed to be drinking responsibly. As an organization with some 170+ member countries, some employees would have been from places where alcohol consumption is frowned upon or even illegal. But no one was protesting.

What a contrast to the "American culture" of prohibiting alcohol in the workplace. I seem to recall that a large Chicago ad agency (maybe in the John Hancock Building; Leo Burnett?) had an on-site bar for employees after work, and now Yelp is giving it a shot (no pun intended).

Responsible drinking should be the goal, not abstinence. And maybe, just maybe, if responsible drinking were introduced in homes, kids wouldn't be so eager to sneak around to find out what alcohol is all about.or to get drunk on their 21st birthdays.