
Ask HN: Is the Ballmer Peak real? - Fej
Yes, it&#x27;s from a comic. But I&#x27;ve heard varying stories regarding the ostensibly-imaginary method. Companies like Jet allow alcohol at the desk. Is there any truth to it? Dependent on the person?
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pizza
Well, think of it this way: people would benefit from it if there were a solid
chance that the positive benefits outweighed the side effects of alcohol
consumption, reliably. People might even be slightly buzzed all the time if
such were the case. But of the people (afaik) who drink when working, do they
try to convert others to do the same, for an easy upgrade or enhancement of
work ability? I find, not so much. So, I think it may just be a catchy meme
foremost than a trend to keep up with, probably helps that regular drinking is
not out of the ordinary in SV or NY, etc..

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PaulHoule
For some kinds of work, say sales, a little alcohol can help with anxiety.

It has a way of catching up with you, however, and you can easily wind up
drinking too much.

If you want to suppress anxiety you may be better off getting a prescription
for a short-acting benzodiazepine such as Xanax -- the primary effect of
alcohol and benzodiazepines is basically the same. BZs are much safer than the
older tranquilizers, but still have danger of addiction and overdose,
particularly if you combine with alcohol, opiates, etc. Xanax is cheaper than
alcohol, however, and less toxic.

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Eridrus
There have been quite a few studies showing that alcohol helps with
creativity, presumably because we don't shoot down novel ideas so quickly.

But most development is not creative. I worked from a co-working space that
had free beers available on Friday afternoons, I tried having a beer and
working and it was a total waste of time.

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Fej
Original comic - literally relevant xkcd:
[https://www.xkcd.com/323/](https://www.xkcd.com/323/)

