Rich people can be alcoholics, too – and in fact they can often conceal and maintain it better. A well-off white collar worker is unlikely to spend a significant percentage of their income on alcohol, even if they're drinking to excess; they also are likely to have flexible work hours, sick time, and other mechanisms to cover for their binges and hangovers.
There are even (up to a point) social and professional benefits that come from drinking with colleagues. Alcohol is a huge part of many companies' culture, and people can easily hit the 80th percentile (>15 drinks per week) simply by accepting a reasonable fraction of the offers to share a drink with their peers in a given work week.
Some normal signs in tech companies:
* Company-stocked beer fridges
* Hosted weekly (or more often) happy hours
* Personal bottles of expensive whiskey on desks
* Expense reports for "team dinners" that are 60-70% booze
There are even (up to a point) social and professional benefits that come from drinking with colleagues. Alcohol is a huge part of many companies' culture, and people can easily hit the 80th percentile (>15 drinks per week) simply by accepting a reasonable fraction of the offers to share a drink with their peers in a given work week.
Some normal signs in tech companies: * Company-stocked beer fridges * Hosted weekly (or more often) happy hours * Personal bottles of expensive whiskey on desks * Expense reports for "team dinners" that are 60-70% booze