Drinking culture...

[the 4th hanson bro]

I'm at our national sales meeting this week. We had our team "dinner" this evening. Everyone got two drink tickets. But when the drink tickets are gone, one of the VPs invariably gets his AMEX out and opens a tab.

I drink my two drinks and that's it. Maybe I'm just getting too old or something.

 

[Captain Intrepid]

Sounds like fun.

That's what I thought too!

 

[Tim]

When I lived in the UK, I found the high level of drinking to be a bit surprising. I managed to go out to the pub with friends on a regular basis and have a great time without getting totally hammered. It is possible, folks!

 

[WillsBabe]

The British culture is like a society of alcoholics...

I'm not a big drinker - maybe a couple of times a year I'll have a few drinks, usually on my birthday when my husband takes me out, and maybe on holiday. However, even then I'd say my consumption is light to moderate compared to what other folks drink. But, it isn't the drinking itself that disturbs me, it's the way people talk about alcohol as some kind of crutch that they need, that everybody needs, just to get by. People drink at home in the house every night "we opened a couple of bottles of wine last night", or ache for the weekend when they can hit the tiles. People talk about alcohol as this thing they need... I can't explain it. I find it bizarre and quite worrying.

 

[MetalPants]

In my previous job... our manager would take us all to a bar on particular Fridays (when we had done well) and put his card behind the bar... and every employee would be encouraged to drink themselves silly - which most would do.

You want to socialize with your coworkers outside of work???

^ The managers were the worst culprits for coming in with hangovers... one even came in of a morning with the newest member of the team - a 20 year old, who had been too wasted to go home, so she'd gone home with him... you do the math!

This manager-he didn't get fired for this?

 

[RoJoHen]

My "culture" is that of the mid-20s bartender/server. We usually don't work until 4pm, and we get off work around 11pm, so the only thing left open for us are the bars. But we also work late on weekends, so we get drunk on weekdays more than weekends.

 

[Shaytan]

The British culture is like a society of alcoholics...

Over here, British have the reputation to not handle very well alcohol. I always thought that's why we seem to prefer the Scotish and the Irish : they can drink

Have you found this so in your own city...? Or have particular stories to tell, whether opposite or similar...?

I let you guess

 

[Deckerd]

The British culture is like a society of alcoholics...

Over here, British have the reputation to not handle very well alcohol. I always thought that's why we seem to prefer the Scotish and the Irish : they can drink

I take it by 'British' you mean English then. The Scots have a problem with the drink but it's nothing new - it's a national obsession like the Russians have. That said, you don't often see the sights that are always plastered over the news, of young people staggering around cities at midnight (in England). Perhaps it's just too cold here!

 

[Locutus of Bored]

You want to socialize with your coworkers outside of work???

What's wrong with that?

 

[Shaytan]

I take it by 'British' you mean English then.

Yeps, sorry, I always make the mistake (and frankly, I don't really care).

That said, you don't often see the sights that are always plastered over the news, of young people staggering around cities at midnight (in England). Perhaps it's just too cold here!

That's nor a national problem, it's everywhere.

 

[Deckerd]

I take it by 'British' you mean English then.

Yeps, sorry, I always make the mistake (and frankly, I don't really care).

I like you Belgians, you're so laid back.

 

[Shaytan]

I like you Belgians, you're so laid back.

*shrug*

But say that I'm a marseillais

 

[RAMA]

The drinking culture is everywhere, its just expected. But having seen the British one, its way more developed...after all the Brit culture is much older.

 

[ria 75]

If anything, the drinking culture is getting worse... the habit with friends would be the buying of rounds of shots (the purpose of which is to get tipsy as quickly as possible)... so by the time you were done in a short hour or so, you might have downed 5 or 6 shots, courtesy of your friends, and bought a round or 2 yourself... It's almost seen as not very team motivated to not engage!

You might duck out of the "charlie" being passed around in the loo... but you better prepare yourself for a three sheets to the wind evening if you agree to go out... for this reason, I find myself less and less willing to go out and "bar hop" in order to supposedly unwind and socialise towards the end of the week... which is to say from Thurs to Sun non-stop...

If this is what Londin meet-ups are like, I'm not coming. It's not worth the expenses just to get wasted... and forget one's hat in the bar.

That's not a national problem, it's everywhere.

The French have their share of chronic drunks like any other nation, but we don't have a drinking culture. We have a wine culture.

And it isn't such a widespread plague among teenagers here.

How old do you have to be to buy alcohol in the UK?
At least we don't have the "not until age 21" reverse psychology incentive.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Well, if the meetup I went to is any indication, no one's going to get wasted (we went to a pub for dinner and had a pint or two, but that was it).

The weird thing about British drinking culture is that, since pubs close so early, it starts earlier in the evening than in America (at least in my experience). You might actually go out drinking, get tanked, and get home at a reasonable hour.

 

[CookieMonster]

I take it by 'British' you mean English then.

Yeps, sorry, I always make the mistake (and frankly, I don't really care).

Can someone please tell me the difference?

 

[cultcross]

I take it by 'British' you mean English then.

Yeps, sorry, I always make the mistake (and frankly, I don't really care).

Can someone please tell me the difference?

England (jsut the brown bit!)
Great Britain (all of it!)

Simply put, Great Britain is the island itself, encompassing the countries of England, Scotland and Wales.
England is one of these countries, and does not refer to Scotland or Wales
The UK Comprises Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

 

[ITL]

England (jsut the brown bit!)
Great Britain (all of it!)

Simply put, Great Britain is the island itself, encompassing the countries of England, Scotland and Wales.
England is one of these countries, and does not refer to Scotland or Wales
The UK Comprises Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

That GB map must be pretty old - I see no Cleveland or Humberside!

 

[WillsBabe]

^^^ You're always so helpful. You should be a policeman or something.

ETA: That map's hilarious: it has Exmouth on it, but completely misses out Plymouth and Exeter!

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Just to add, the appropriate term for the country would be the United Kingdom.

Since names of countries differ by language (Germany being a great example), the fact that it's often referred to as England shouldn't be that big of a deal. Although I guess you shouldn't call a Scottish person "English"