The French legal system recently produced a victory for the sober curious.

In 2015, a man was fired from a Parisian consulting firm for refusing to attend after-work drinks.

They claimed he wasn’t “fun” enough to fit their corporate values (wow). He claimed that at the core, their values promoted excessive drinking, even alcoholism (see details here).

Recently, the court ruled that he was wrongfully dismissed from his job.

While it’s just one case from one country, we are excited to see courts recognizing the decision to not drink as a protected form of self-expression.

After all, many of us find our alcohol-heavy work cultures are obstacles to cutting back or quitting drinking. No one should be held back professionally for not wanting to get drunk. It’s hardly conducive to doing your actual job well, and doesn’t even lead to deep, meaningful connections between co-workers.

I apologize in advance for the joke, but apparently, you have to fight for your right… not to party.

If you’re working on drinking less, we’d love to help. Drinker’s Helper is an app that provides motivational exercises, drink tracking and insights into why you drink, and a personalized support group of your peers to help you make needed changes.