Sometimes drinking is the ultimate confidence booster—so effective it can last through your professional life.
Many millennials and Gen Xers will agree that some of the most unforgettable memories of their youth were made during a night out with alcohol and friends. Back then, getting drunk made you automatically cool, like everyone who saw you laugh, dance, cry, and even throw up, became your friend. But, admit it, as much as it was “cool” back then, it is embarrassing now. You don’t go around telling your boss, clients, or in-laws what happened. You. Just. Don’t.
Now here’s a reason not to be ashamed, titas and titos. A new long-term study suggests that teenage binge-drinkers may actually earn more many and achieve greater success as adults. Talk about inspiration!
Led by sociologist Willy Pedersen at the University of Oslo, the study traced the drinking habits of 3,000 Norwegians from they were 18 up until they reached 31. Results from the research, which lasted for over 18 long years, showed that those who were already drinking heavily in their late teens and early twenties attained higher levels of education and income compared to those who were light drinkers or simply sober. “There is a correlation,” Pedersen told The Times. “The statistical findings are quite strong, so clearly significant.”
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The sociologist, who also explored how intoxicants shape social life in his book The Beauty and Pain of Drugs, believes that the benefits stem from what alcohol signals the body. “It’s obviously not the fact that [if] you drink alcohol, that it sort of comes into your body and does something with your brain,” he told the outlet. “The most likely explanation is that all alcohol is a kind of marker of sociality and that habit comes with some types of benefits.”
Those who drink heavily from they were 18 to 22 build confidence and loosen inhibitions as they move through social settings—late-night parties in crowded bars, conversing until sunrise, and creating bonds—that all eventually enable them to get ahead in professional life.
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A perfect example of how immersing in the drinking culture can lead to success is Oxford University’s Bullingdon Club. The all-male club for wealthy students is infamous for its rowdy diners, vandalism of restaurants and student rooms. But it helped generate several UK prime ministers, including David Cameron and Boris Johnson, who were once its members. Their shared ritual of heavy drinking in lavish banquets, as studied by Pedersen, may have equipped them with the social skills needed in power.
Still, this shouldn’t give you, or kids these days, enough reason to drown one’s self in vodka every night. Pedersen’s study also pointed out that those who started drinking heavily at much younger ages grew up to be less successful as adults. Experts have also been stressing that drinking too much and too often can lead to serious health risks.
According to the World Health Organization, excessive drinking can increase one’s risk of developing diseases in the liver and heart, as well as different types of cancer. It could also lead to mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and dementia. While getting wasted could possibly bring one all the money in the future, responsible drinking is the key to a long life.
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