Brits have a huge problem with alcohol

[SteveLpool]

AIBU to think that this country has a particularly acute problem with boozing, alcohol, drinking (whatever you call it) compared to our peers in Europe and the rest of the world?

I've worked and travelled abroad quite a lot and i never had the issues i am having now being back at home in the UK with regards to being the odd one out at a bar or a pub just because I'm not having alcohol.

Sometimes a few of us will get together after work and I'll have a diet coke or even a soda water and lime.. when my choice of drink is known ("is there vodka in that????") there becomes an aura of uncomfortableness (if that is even a word) like I've committed a crime.. soon afterwards the comments come..

"what's in that?"
"why arnt you drinking"
"are you a lightweight"
"just have a couple"

I have a theory of why this is for Brits in particular.. We as a people are quite emotionally & socially reserved therefore inhibitions MUST be lowered to have any form of good time..

The med countries for example like Italy and Spain have more of a coffee wine bar culture because they are quite outgoing and introverted.

For the record I'm not against alcohol, I'm big on my fitness and gym and I'm not prepared to ruin my gains for a few hours in a dingy British pub.. I save my boozing for when i go away on holiday.

You are completely correct. It’s shameful to attack older men most of whom have spent their whole lives at work - many at physically tough and to others unappealing jobs - from spending their retirement relaxing in the company of others. The classism throughout @SteveLpool‘s posts is writ large. I too have seen many older people in continental Europe whiling away their days with the comfort of other people and a glass of something. And the why the hell shouldn’t they.

Compared to our European neighbours?! Good grief!
Sweden has a massive problem with binge drinking. I've seen people passed out in the street. Heavy taxes don't seem to stop it. Similar problems in Denmark and Finland. The Czech Republic has massive alcohol consumption. I think the image of Europeans sipping the occasional wine is not true!

I'm in the US, so I can't speak to whether Brits have a problem with alcohol. I will say something that I've noticed, though - there are sometimes threads on here where someone will say she's pregnant and is going out for dinner and she doesn't want her friends to know about the pregnancy yet. But she's concerned that it will be noticed and commented on. I always think, how much do you drink that if you don't drink, your friends notice and comment on it?

Haven't RTFT but there's a bit about this in the book Watching the English by Kate Fox. She said, IIRC, that the presence of alcohol acts as a signal of social rule change in British/English culture (she focuses on the English but it's much the same in Scotland where I am). And that our rules are quite strict compared to some other cultures in formal situations but that they change in some social situations but not others. The presence of alcohol signals that the rules have changed and people can let their guard down a little and say things that wouldn't be appropriate in formal situations. But if one or several people aren't drinking when everyone else is, it causes confusion as to which rules apply and how informal and care free you can be with everyone. It was years ago I read it though so this might be a bit off - has anyone read it more recently. I found it fascinating!

Lol, yeah, I'd say less than 1% of the time I spend with my friends I'm not drinking alcohol. I just don't enjoy social stuff without it to be honest but then I've just found out I have a cortisol disorder and am too stressed to function if I'm only allowed coffee!

I am an Alcoholic in recovery,20 years sober,I can assure you Alcoholism is a Worldwide problem.We are no worse than other Countries.
How strange to think we are.

We drink much less as a nation than many other nations. Germany Ireland Belgium, Poland France Portugal all way worse. France is worst in the world for years of life lost due to alcohol consumption.

That makes sense in some situations eg maybe with colleagues, alcohol vs no alcohol might indicate how relaxed it is.
But with friends, surely the relationships between the people is much more relevant.

Oh yes it's a real problem.

As my Mother once said 'I've never even seen you drunk!!' like it's a bad thing

🙄🤔

My two young adult sons and their friends drink very little, they are far more into healthy eating/gym/fitness than the teenagers/young adults of my youth.

In the 80s drinking culture was massive. People drank at lunchtime, went back to work, back to pub/bar before going home. Meetings were held in bars with alcohol. There's none of that now that I can see. The majority of my friends drink little or nothing unless they are on a night out for that purpose.

I've never been a drinker. When I was younger I'd get people saying 'oh but you must have just....' that's not the case anymore. When we went out on NYE to an event in a pub 4 out of 6 were non drinkers, no one bats an eyelid if you order soft drinks anymore.

Not only has the culture become worse over the years, the strength of the Lager has increased. Years ago a pint was 3% ish now 5% is the norm. I’ve lived my life around drinkers. Mum and dad both pissheads, now both dead prematurely due to drinking/poor associated health and mates who drink way too much. I live in the North though and drinking has always been a big part of the Northern culture as many towns were traditionally working class with the men all going to the pubs after work.

I'm in the US, too. A small and minor thing, but I'm always surprised at the posts on MN about teachers' presents where bottles of wine are mentioned. This would never happen in my neck of the woods in the US. It just would just not be acceptable, and you can never assume whether someone drinks alcohol or is teetotal. And it's not something you would likely know about your child's teacher.

Yeah, I'd agree it's different when it's just friends it's different.

OH complains about the strength of beer these days and finds the lighter continental bottles preferable. It would make beer less expensive too. Some wines are stronger too.

Yes it is just so weird the strength of alcohol you can get sometimes in the UK I have seen bottle of red wine priced £4.60 with 14% proof and I’m sure that has got stronger over time. And now there is a concern the lower and non-alcoholic stuff (wines) are actually worse then the real thing.

I recall Social drinking Xmas 2021 at a singles party I kept hold of a bottle of cider all evening.

Then Echo falls my fave did drop from 8/9% to 5.5 during pandemic - loved their red raspberry cassiss 9% which you can’t get anymore at that percent I think

Someone did rub it in on the Saxenda support page when I commented my first glass in many weeks on Christmas Eve tasted like poison, alcoholics are apparently going to get the weight loss licensed drug Saxenda but how does that worked if the liver is already f**ked. One night I went up to Tesco with a thought to buy some alcohol but changed my mind and came home with skimmed milk but I was lucky with a strong liver in having the pen when we can’t all be.

"wine mom" culture is all the jokes about mothers needing wine all the time. There's memes and T-shirts and even wine glasses with "Mommy's sippy cup" on it. there's this undercurrent of "I'm joking but not really" about not being able to cope without alcohol that I find odd. For some people it's all about the joke, more so than the drinking. For some people it's not. In a country where women are shamed for asking for help, the jokes about relying on alcohol can take on a tinge that's not always intended.

("Teehee" is just my own personal addition to it, but if you google "wine mom" or "wine mom culture" you'll see plenty, of varying degrees of quality.)

The wine thing is a bit odd. Its rank. Once upon a time it was to be consumed to complement food, now it’s a binge drink drink. I’ve never, ever had a wine that doesn’t taste disgusting. How can people stand it?

Yes, I learnt not to do it either, and I am not in a teetotal part of the country (I would expect in some places that might be an issue with Christians, especially Baptists). But you wouldn't do it, alcohol isn't considered an appropriate present. Even a gift card. This came up in a discussion group once, and people didn't find it offensive--even the teachers didn't. It was just... not done, like it presumed too much. No one would be offended here if you gave Starbucks gift cards, even though there are people who don't drink coffee. It got fairly spirited, and people did say it was all right if you knew they drank alcohol.

Was in Normandy last year. Friend was showing us round her home town and we went for a coffee about 11am. There were already people sitting around with glasses of wine!

@justasking111
In most US states your driver's license is provisional until age 21 and can be taken away for quite a few infractions. Losing that privilege is a huge deal, though it's true that some don't take the penalties for mixing alcohol with driving very seriously.

Because... wine drinkers don't find it disgusting?

Can you please link to the source/published data for Foetal alcohol syndrome is now much more prevalent among the middle classes?

Many thanks!

When I was at university in 1978 the cheapest drink was 1 litre bottles of Sainsburies Cider 6% I think it was and it was 70p. The Bank of England inflation calculator shows that as £3.50 in today's money.

You can get a litre of Frosty Jacks for £1.89 is 7.5%

So basically booze is much cheaper these days by at least half and much more readily available. One could make an argument that the government as a means of control actually likes it that way and allows the poor to drown their sorrows.

www.trolley.co.uk/product/frosty-jacks-original-apple-cider/YTR556

I can't get over being in a Majorca a few years back and went on a safari to see both Magaluf and Playa de Palmas. Magaluf was carnage central with Brit lads and lasses all over the place pissed to the gills and staggering around. Playa des Palmas was much more sedate , Germans in football shirts quitley watching football whulst drinking on big screens whilst prostitutes plied their trade on the promenade in front.

In the United States:

Who is most likely to drink during pregnancy?
Among pregnant women, alcohol use was highest among:
Those aged 35-44 years (18.6 percent);
College graduates (13 percent); and.
Unmarried women (12.9 percent).

I love the taste of a nice wine. I wish you could get non alcoholic wine that tasted the same as alcoholic wine.