CJR on a study on the relationship between journalism and drinking

There are probably lots of reasons why drinking and newsrooms don't mix like they used to. But how about one no one ever mentions: many of us now live and/or work in the suburbs. And suburbs means driving. And driving and drinking, alas, do not mix well.
My old shop was a rather hard-drinking joint in the outer burbs. How one gets home from a night at the bar after work was a constant worry, and definitely kept consumption under control. Still, two friends had DUIs and I knew a couple others who had near-miss experiences, and at least one who's a DUI waiting to happen. Hammill and Breslin worked at big-city papers with bars across the street and a subway to ride home. We, mostly, don't.

 

There's a bar right across the street from us, well two actually (and a gun shop next door. Everything you could need in walking distance). We don't have the biggest drinking paper in the world, but us sports guys definitely do our part to keep the local establishments in business. My SE actually has a drink named after him at one of the bars, that's how big of a fixture he is there.

 

1st less-than-rag i worked at had a dive bar, chinese buffet and alcoholics anonymous meeting office in the same small strip.

 

My first job, I lived probably about 200 yards from work. In that stretch were two bars, a 3.2 beer/pizza joint, a restaurant with a bar and two bars in the four storefronts on the other side of the paper.

I bowed to beer pressure...