“I want to remind everyone that we have a no alcohol policy at Salesforce,” wrote CEO Marc Benioff in a recent internal blog post, reminding employees that “alcohol is a drug.” “Having alcohol on a Salesforce premise is simply unfair to the Ohana who either do not want it or are intolerant of it,” said Benioff. The CEO often uses the Hawaiian word “Ohana” for his employees, which refers to family.

Salesforce isn’t the only company to adopt zero tolerance toward an alcohol-free workplace, but Benioff is one of the first tech CEOs to ban alcoholic beverages in office, which have become a trendy perk in workplaces across the Silicon Valley to attract more talent and to promote a cool work culture. Officially, Salesforce announced the alcohol ban during a meeting over a year ago, and the latest post by the CEO was meant to enforce the ban. In October 2017, Benioff left this strong message for his 25,000 employees after he saw alcoholic beverages and kegs at several workstations.

In recent years, many tech startups managed by young CEOs have turned to office booze as a part of their corporate makeover strategy to shed off their conventional and boring image. Companies like Glassdoor and Twitter provide free kegs of beer to their workforce any time, whereas GitHub and Yelp permit free alcohol only after working hours or in restricted areas of the office. Though Google and Facebook don’t seem to have banned alcohol officially, employees are encouraged to apply discretion while drinking in office.

Now, a large number of tech companies are beginning to ban alcohol completely in office. Startups like Zenefits enforced a total prohibition on drinking in office last year. Uber is mulling over a ban on the same lines during core working hours by slashing the allocated budget for booze. Meanwhile, after the acquisition of Wal-Mart, Jet.com is serious about a no-alcohol work policy, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Alcohol is synonymous with American culture

Alcohol is an inevitable part of contemporary American lifestyle, making it a socially acceptable drug. According to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), more than 15 million people aged 18 years and older had alcohol use disorder (AUD) in the U.S. Besides, an estimated 88,000 Americans die from alcohol-related causes every year, making the substance the third leading preventable cause of death in the country.

Excessive consumption of alcohol is a serious public health concern across America. There are innumerable unwary individuals languishing in the grip of alcohol, who need to be made aware of their vulnerability to chronic health issues. However, the good thing is that alcohol addiction can be treated with timely medical intervention. If a person is grappling with alcoholism, he/she should immediately seek professional help from a reputed rehabilitation center.

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