What is up with this weird “day drinking” moralization I see all over the internet? Is it really that unusual for Americans to have a cup of wine or a beer during lunch?

26 comments

1. It’s usually more about not drinking during the workday. Or it’s about heavy drinking during the morning. However, brunches get a pass for more drinking generally.

2. Drinking during lunch has been frowned on since the 50s or 60s.

3. You would likely be fired from the vast majority of jobs if someone smelled alcohol on your breath. Drinking on the job is very frowned upon and sometimes outright dangerous. There’s also the fact that many Americans are driving not only to work but potentially also to lunch.

4. Day drinking is discouraged because people view daytime hours as being for work. It’s not unusual to have alcohol during lunch if you’re having a vacation, but otherwise it’s seen as trashy.

5. Its extremely unusual to have a drink during lunch time in most circles. Almost completely unheard of in most professional settings.

6. Where are you seeing that?

   Drinking during a work day is unusual in most industries. I know of a fact that some higher level people who don’t really have bosses do it.

   Is it really normal where you are from for someone to drink at noon on a weekday?

7. having a beer at lunch on your day off isn’t day drinking, imo. day drinking is having a couple at brunch, and then continuing to drink during the day, like at the pool or watching sports. if you’re “day drinking” you’re probably getting drunk.

8. During the weekday, yeah, I’m not allowed to drink alcohol during the workday per my employer.

   Weekends are another story, love a brunch mimosa.

9. We literally drink bourbon at 12:00 meetings

10. Drinking a glass of wine or having a single beer isn’t day drinking. Day drinking means you’re getting drunk early in the day.

11. 1) “Day drinking” generally connotes something a little more enthusiastic than having a beer with lunch. As in, “I’m day drinking – it’s 3:00 pm and I’m on my 6th beer.”

    2) I have no way of knowing what your internet experience looks like, but 99% of the mentions of day drinking I see are some kind of joke or people openly saying they’re day drinking. There’s a solid chance you don’t understand what you’re seeing.

    3) Drinking during the work day is often considered unprofessional. Some jobs will ease up if you’re going out to lunch on a work function, but bringing a beer to the office or going out to have a drink on your lunch break would not be acceptable in most professional workplaces.

12. It’s viewed of as classless / unprofessional / unsual / if you do it you have a drinking problem.

    My insurance job I’m specifically not allowed to drink alcohol during the work day, even though I now work at home.

13. I’m seeing a lot of people haven’t worked at start ups with beer on tap in the office.

14. It doesn’t come up during my current job but when I was younger working construction I had a bug problem with people showing up drunk and hurting others, then giving a big sob story about how they “need it to get through the day”.

    That make sense?

15. I worked in London for awhile, and there was a pub/bar in our office building. I was also one of only a few women in a professional position. I used to hate having (otherwise all male) team meetings after lunch, not because they were inappropriate with me, but because they were totally useless.

16. “day drinking” usually refers to getting drunk, not just having a drink with lunch. Though that’s also a lot less common over here, we are pretty conservative regarding drinking compared to many places.

17. “Day drinking” to me is watching (I don’t drink) my friends pop open a beer at around 10am and drinking all day.

    Drinking during the workweek (M-F 6-6) will likely get you fired. Most people hit bars after work or drink with their dinner or after dinner at their own homes.

18. Day drinking implies you’re getting drunk during the day, not just having a beer or glass of wine with your meal.

19. During a workday? Absolutely it’s frowned upon. I, and most people I know, would be fired in a instant for drinking a beer during lunch.

    During a weekend or on vacation tho it’s relatively accepted. Brunch restaurants are packed on weekends.

20. An alcoholic beverage at lunch = asleep by 2:00 pm for me, so I do not partake.

21. My favorite thing is to have a beer with lunch before I get back to work. I remember learning in school that peasants in Europe used to have beer/ale for breakfast, then more at lunch So I jokingly say that “Our ancestors did it, its good for you!”

    I’m actually always complaining to my wife that it should be normalized.

22. “Day drinking” isn’t about having wine with lunch, its about setting out to get hammered, like its Club Night or something, in the middle of the day.

23. I love day drinking

24. Day drinking is waking up at 8:00 and not knowing am or pm

25. When I think of day drinking, I think of other students at my college on football Saturdays who are already wasted by 10am when the game starts at noon. Having a glass of wine during lunch isn’t really the same. Day drinking means more like,, really heavy drinking before evening. Drinking beer or wine during lunch isn’t really common at work, but some people will have a beer or glass of wine with lunch when they’re at home. If you’re out to eat at a restaurant, then yeah having a drink at lunch is pretty common. It’s just the distinction between having a drink and actually getting intoxicated.

26. “Day drinking” for us implies knowingly irresponsible drunkenness earlier than is generally acceptable for non night shift people. We usually wait till 5/sundown.

    No moral judgements here just our mores.