Drinking Culture!

I have to say I think it is a drinking culture and not just about alcoholics in deprived areas. I work at a school and I can say that the attitude towards alcohol by staff is very different than I experienced in the states, not to mention the attitude of students.

there is a difference in the attitude towards alcohol here, but the getting drunk at 9 am and walking around during the day with cans of beer isn't part of that drinking culture. It is part of a bigger social problem and you will see it in all major cities (remember the homeless in the US have the stereotype of being alcoholics, it's not just here.)

Yes, people like to go to the pub. People like to have a drink. But you don't have to have one as well and there are a variety of pubs around that don't cater to binge drinking. if you don't like pubs, you don't have to go. Also with the rate pubs are closing this won't be an issue for long.

I have to say I think it is a drinking culture and not just about alcoholics in deprived areas.

There is definitely a drinking culture here - I don't think anyone is disputing that it exists, it's just that the behaviour that Ink is describing doesn't fall within the realm of the 'normal' UK drinking culture and it does sound more like the people she sees are alcoholics.

I've lived in the UK for almost all of my life and although I've definitely seen a lot of the drinking culture in the UK, I've never experienced what Ink is describing (I live in a quiet, safe town in the countryside, where most people are either families with young kids or are elderly).

However, in the 18 months I lived in the US as a student, I experienced it almost every day... the university campus was right next to a bad area of the city and there were homeless drunks all along the main road outside the campus, begging for money for the bus (even though it only cost $1) and generally making a nuisance of themselves.

It depends on the area you're in.  US binge drinking among college students is a huge problem, and I don't know if a similar thing exists here, at least at that age.  Teens start drinking younger here, I think, so they might go through that stage at a much younger age.

I guess we're pretty lucky.  We live near a popular pub, but people are generally quiet and respectful.  People drink during the day, but I don't think there's anything wrong with that in itself.  I rarely see drunk people, or at least in your face drunk people.  I love that pubs are the sort of social cores of communities, and even our community, a small neighbourhood, sort of gravitates a bit around our local.  It's not traditional in the sense it doesn't look like the Queen Vic or anything, but it has activities and people get to know each other there.  So many are closing, and I find pubs such a part of British culture, I am glad ours seems to be going strong. 

That said, I do wish there were more alternatives at night.  Other Americans and I have talked about this, and even in London, it's hard to find a coffee shop or cafe that's open past 6 or 7, let alone late into the night.  They tend to be quieter than a pub, the non-alcoholic drinks tend to be cheaper, and sometimes people want to do things that don't expose them to drinking.  I mean, you can sometimes find restaurants open that late, but you don't always want to order food.  And most places serve drinks anyway.

When we lived closer to the West-end, I saw more people drunk and stumbling around, being a nuisance.  However, the absolute worst was when we visited the IOW.  Some of the towns there with a night life seemed to be the sort of thing that The Mail warns you about.  Maybe we just happened on a bad week, but I would feel stressed out being around that sort of thing long term.  It wasn't the tourist season, and it seemed to be mostly locals.  I am sure people living in some uni towns in the States feel the same, but TBH, it's probably certain towns.

US binge drinking among college students is a huge problem, and I don't know if a similar thing exists here, at least at that age.

Oh yes, uni binge drinking is huge here.

However, in the 18 months I lived in the US as a student, I experienced it almost every day... the university campus was right next to a bad area of the city and there were homeless drunks all along the main road outside the campus, begging for money for the bus (even though it only cost $1) and generally making a nuisance of themselves.

I lived across the street from a liquor store in the US, and I used to hate having to go to the shop next door in the evening, because I would have to pass all the drunks hanging around outside.

I've never come across anything like that in the UK - not where I live.

Legs, you may just need to find another pub. There are pubs that are loud and rowdy, and pubs that are much quieter, with people sitting around and talking and more of a coffee shop atmosphere.

I'm not sure what you mean about not being exposed to drinking, unless you are talking about people who can't be in a place where alcohol is served, because of religious reasons.

There is a HUGE drinking culture here.  Yes, you will find binge drinking on Universities in the states and winos in large cities but it is NOT socially acceptable for 30 plus yrs old to go out on pub (bar) crawls, binge drink in public and then brag about it the next day at work!!!  Here it is.   Many WHITE and BLUE collar employed people I have heard say "I am going out this weekend and get drunk or we are going to Europe not to sight see but to DRINK the WHOLE weekend!!!!" I have lived in the South West, the North and the Midlands it is everywhere.  Until there is social pressure that public displays of drunkenness will not be tollerated, we will have this problem.  Over 1/3 of Bedfordshire's NHS expeditures are for alcohol related incidences!  It is similar for other areas.  The drain on public resources will affect us all.

I'm not sure what you mean about not being exposed to drinking, unless you are talking about people who can't be in a place where alcohol is served, because of religious reasons.

Recovering alcoholics or people who are abstaining for whatever reason don't always like to go to bars and pubs.  My dad (a recovering alcoholic) always said you don't go to a "brothel" (except he used another word) to play the piano. Not everyone abstains for religious reasons. I don't drink currently for dietary reasons, but whenever we get pressed to go to a pub with certain people, I feel the pressure to drink.  Plus, have you ever bought a soda in a pub?  Wow, you'd go broke before you would drinking ale.  If I drink something like vodka, it's doubly expensive unless I want to drink it straight or watered (blech).

Our local isn't all that loud, but I wouldn't bring a book at night and expect to be able to read it.

I belong to a book club that meets in pubs.

I feel the drinking culture is about even to what I experienced in NYC.  But - I do think that's attributed to where I have worked.  I've worked in finance and financial services and a lot of the social afterwork stuff is bar/pub based.  

In terms of outside of work, I feel it sort of evens out in London vs. NYC as well, with the exception that I'd say when I lived in the city, I drank more in the evening, and here, more likely for an afternoon pint than staying out super late.  

I belong to a book club that meets in pubs.

We've met in pubs too.  Just not at night. EDIT: And the reason we don't meet in them at night isn't about this particular pub, but the tendency to have music or televisions blaring.  And pubs in London can get very packed at night, especially between 5-8 when people are generally getting off work.

Clearly from my first post in this thread, I am not anti-pub.  I'd just like to see an alternative as well.

I feel the drinking culture is about even to what I experienced in NYC.  But - I do think that's attributed to where I have worked.  I've worked in finance and financial services and a lot of the social afterwork stuff is bar/pub based.  

In terms of outside of work, I feel it sort of evens out in London vs. NYC as well, with the exception that I'd say when I lived in the city, I drank more in the evening, and here, more likely for an afternoon pint than staying out super late.  

The financial sector is notorious for their substance abuse and drinking.  I think I was listening to the radio the other day, and they were talking about a study of the habits of people working on Wall Street.  When they described some of their lives, it seemed so sad and isolated.  I am definitely not saying it's universal or even the rule, but it made me realise that American Psycho was probably more based in reality than it seemed.

Not everyone abstains for religious reasons. I don't drink currently for dietary reasons, but whenever we get pressed to go to a pub with certain people, I feel the pressure to drink. 

There have been two major times since I've lived here that I've been a non-drinker. The first time was a few years ago when I was losing weight and just couldn't afford the 200+ calories in the smallest glass of wine in my day's count, so I'd have fizzy water. The other time was more recently, when my transplant left me with severe liver damage and I was teetotal for 10-11 months (until just a few weeks ago, really. Now I am allowed ONE.).

The difference between people's attitudes in "I don't want a drink, thanks" and "I cannot medically have a drink" has been crazy. On a whole, people are almost offended if you choose not to have a drink, like it's an affront to them or something (and this is coming from good friends). And if you have medical reasons, they look at you with such extreme pity, like you're missing a limb or have terminal cancer or something. I mean, really, not drinking really didn't bother me, but to everyone else is was like a death sentence! And in both cases, after you've already stated you're not drinking, thanks, they'd STILL try to convince you to "have just a little one" every ten minutes, and then again every time they went to the bar. Yes, what part of "grossly deranged liver results" don't you understand?

Plus, have you ever bought a soda in a pub?  Wow, you'd go broke before you would drinking ale. 

Are you drinking bottles of soda? Go for the fountain mixers - even in London you can get a pint of the cola or lemonade for around a pound.

I have lived in the South West, the North and the Midlands it is everywhere.

I don't think it's a regional thing; it's more urban/rural in my experience. I've lived in nice quiet rural villages in separate regions of the UK and there was no drinking culture.

I agree villages are better but step out of that little village.... Case in point when we travel on the train we regularly see people drinking beer at 9:00am and bragging to their friends about how drunk they are.   

I agree villages are better but step out of that little village.... Case in point when we travel on the train we regularly see people drinking beer at 9:00am and bragging to their friends about how drunk they are.   

I've never seen anyone drinking on a train at 9am in 27 years of living in the UK.

I  take two tubes a bus and a train to work everyday to one of the most deprived parts of London and have never seen anyone drinking on public transport (I'd notice because it's illegal in London for a start).

When I used to commute to London three times a week from Brighton I wouldn't see people drinking either. Currently I'm doing London-Liverpool twice a week, they SELL alcohol on the train and I've not seen one person drinking on the 9:07 from Euston in almost two years (so 100+ trips).

Maybe I'd see people drinking around 1pm but that's it.

The only places I've ever seen people drinking at 9am are

- The dodgy Wetherspoons on West Street in Brighton
- Obviously homeless people by the side of the road, very occasionally in Hayes.