http://www.slatev.com/ind ...

I know I can't.

Interesting experiment. I'm 48 and my quantity drinking days are long past, but I do enjoy one of Don's Old Fashions a couple of times a week.
Not at work though.
Darn it.

Not anymore, if ever.  After every episode I get the most intense craving for liquor and cigs.  That's good advertising!  I keep wondering if people really did drink like this back then, by the end of the day, were they really functioning as good as they do in the show?  I think they were all probably wandering around like drunken idiots.

There were probably a lot more "functional alcoholics" - early in my career, one of the salespeople that called on me was from the old school.  He was well into his sixties when we met in the mid 80's, so his prime work days were definitely in the MM era.  He would take me to lunch and the meal would not be complete unless he had  three old-fashions.  He did not seem the least bit impaired - I know I would have been unable to produce anything of quality for the rest of the day.

I remember the drinking was a much more intimate part of the lifestyle then than now. My father used to call them his "bracers" earlier in the day and something to "wind him down" after work. I also don't remember there being a lot of fuss about it in fact, those scenes with Sally mixing the drinks is really familiar to me. My father and his business friends would always praise my sister for mixing a drinks "so cute." It was all part of that age & class to me.

On the other hand, that generation got old quicker than what I see people do today and I think the hard living had a lot to do with it.

Still though...some work days I kind of wish it was still acceptable to get hammered and pass out in the office.  Personally, I can think of tons of mistakes I would love to blame on a liquid lunch, and have that be acceptable instead of fire-able!!

I'm not so sure it was exactly acceptable to blame it on the booze.  While it was acceptable to drink at times we no longer consider socially acceptable (remember the Bloody Mary's in the conference room for a morning meeting in Season One), one was expected to handle one's liquor and still perform.  They didn't fire Freddy Rumson because he was a drinker, they fired him because he couldn't handle his booze.

It just amazes me that no matter how much everyone drinks on the show, there aren't very many 'drunk scenes' ! However, the ones where they are clearly a bit sauced are memorable! Were people able to function better then, especially at work,  due to a built up tolerance? Ha!