All those hazy nights that ended with Taco Bell and questionable decisions might have done more for your future than you think. A new long-term study out of Norway suggests that teenage binge-drinkers may actually go on to earn more money and achieve greater success as adults.
The research, led by sociologist Willy Pedersen at the University of Oslo, followed more than 3,000 Norwegians over 18 years, tracking their drinking habits from age 13 to 31. According to Pedersen’s findings, those who started drinking heavily in their late teens and early twenties later reported higher levels of education and income compared to their sober or light-drinking peers. “There is a correlation,” Pedersen told The Times. “The statistical findings are quite strong, so clearly significant.”
Pedersen, whose book The Beauty and Pain of Drugs examines how intoxicants shape social life, believes the real advantage comes from what alcohol signals. “The most likely explanation is that all alcohol is a kind of marker of sociality, and that habit comes with some types of benefits,” he said. Learning to move through social settings—late-night parties, crowded bars, conversations that stretch until sunrise—can build confidence, loosen inhibitions, and create bonds that eventually pay off in professional life.
Getting Wasted as a Teen Might Be Good for Your Career, Study Finds
Pedersen even points to Oxford University’s Bullingdon Club as a boozy example of how drinking culture intersects with elite success. The club, infamous for its rowdy dinners and property destruction, counts several former UK prime ministers among its alumni, including David Cameron and Boris Johnson. While few would argue that downing Champagne by the crate is the reason they made it to Parliament, the shared ritual of excess may have reinforced social cohesion among the powerful.
Still, correlation doesn’t mean everyone should stock up on cheap vodka and nostalgia. Pedersen’s study also found that those who began drinking heavily at much younger ages were less successful later in life. And experts stress that drinking alone, or too often, remains a serious health risk. Linda Granlund, director of public health at Norway’s Directorate of Health, warns that “every glass you choose to skip is good for your health.”
So, it isn’t that alcohol makes people more successful, but that social connection—often forged over a drink—still runs the world. Your teenage hangovers might have been miserable, but maybe they were also…networking.
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