Hi fishes, a little different question posted here - I am considering moving to London on a job offer. Strange, it may sound but I don’t drink alcohol. I am worried, that going out and drinking is a big part of the work and general culture in the UK, and I may come across as an unapproachable chap which may even effect my career in the longer run. Any serious insights on this topic will be highly appreciated.

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I also rarely drink and recently started a new job. I go to the social events and enjoy myself and just have a soft drink and I have really good relationships with my colleagues. I don’t think not drinking should be a problem honestly and to the people it is a problem you probably don’t want to be close to them… 🤷🏾‍♂️

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Nah hasn’t for me so far

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Nah, no worries at all. Lots of people in London abstain for a variety of reasons and it has zero impact on networking.

You can still go out with your mates, teams, etc and just not drink.

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London is diverse in many ways and having a large non-drinking population is one of them. You’re right about the general emphasis on drinking in UK culture and some cities/sectors can be extreme, but I think you‘ll be fine

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There are definitely people who drink a lot, but the industry as a whole seems to represent the broad spectrum of cultures in London.

I've never eaten so much vegetarian food in my life. I love meat, but my best friends in consulting are vegetarian so when we go out, we often go to places that have good veg options. I learned to enjoy a lot of it. Partaking in multiple cultures is one of the best things about London.

As for drinking, one of my mates drinks WAY more than I can handle (I tried to keep up twice and regretted it both times, so stopped trying to keep up) and another doesn't drink at all. The three of us will still be out late together having a good time (usually as part of a larger group). Usually a few people that drink the most will take turns buying each other rounds. A few of us who drink less will buy each other rounds and include a coke / lemonade / water for the abstainers. Often I'll get one drink at the beginning of the evening, then drink diet coke the rest of the night. It's really no big deal at all.

It’s fine, many of my colleagues in consulting do not drink and it’s totally fine, you can still go out without drinking alcohol or bond with people over other topics such as sports, theatres, hobbies etc.

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Maybe just learn how to play golf instead 😂

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There's been a big push at the leadership level to be more inclusive when planning events.

Alcohol is one aspect, but there's other aspects such as scheduling (making it so people with care commitments are welcomed) and food.

Looking at my local leadership, two of our partners are Asian, and they make a point to be inclusive when planning team events.

So... don't worry about it.

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Drinking is less and less a thing these days. There’ll be plenty of opportunities to mix without having to be in a pub too (although the pub is still a big part of social life). When I was still in Big 4 there were HIIT classes, a badminton club, a running club etc.

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I moved to London and I don't drink. In fact I don't even goto pubs, or eat out. Deliveroo is my best friend and online gaming is my favorite hobby. I rarely even step out side of my neighborhood.

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