Guest Posted September 20, 2003 Report Share Posted September 20, 2003 Britons are the worst binge drinkers in Europe CTV.ca News Staff Britons are the worst binge drinkers in Europe, and women are catching up to men, a new government report says. While Brits drink less than most of their continental neighbours, the study shows, they're drinking more than they used to and they're tipping them back more intensively. Though difficult to quantify, for the purposes of the report, binge drinking was defined as drinking more than twice the government's daily guidelines. In practical terms that means imbibing more than six to eight pints a day or the same amount of wine or spirits. The report says British children under 16 are drinking twice what they did ten years ago and women are catching up to men in their consumption. One in four women now exceeds the daily guidelines compared to one in 10 in 1988. In anticipation of Britain's early pub closing time -- they shut their doors and their taps at 11 p.m.-- drinkers sling back several drinks at an alarming rate. The study adds this debaucherous behaviour is, shockingly, costing the British economy nearly $50 billion a year. Alcohol accounts for 40 per cent of emergency hospital admissions. It's also blamed for more than a million violent incidents and 22,000 premature deaths. And then, there are the millions of people every year who call in sick with hangovers. They alone account for the loss of 17 million working days a year. Combined, all those factors are bleeding the economy of resources, manpower and money. "When visitors and tourists come to London and other cities in Britain, they're rather surprised to see that people do binge drink so much," says London councillor Judith Warner. To deal with the problem, the government plans to coax guzzlers to linger over their alcoholic beverages by extending drinking hours. That way, they hope, people won't be in such a hurry to get the alcohol down. Home office minister Hazel Blears says the government is trying to combat the worrisome behaviour before the cost climbs. "What we have to do is to try and make sure we have a wider range of options for young people to go out on a Friday or Saturday night and not just about alcohol." With a report from CTV's Tom Kennedy and Associated Press [color:"blue"]To deal with the problem, the government plans to coax guzzlers to linger over their alcoholic beverages by extending drinking hours. [/color] What do you figure FJ will it work ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carew66 Posted September 20, 2003 Report Share Posted September 20, 2003 If you lived here you'd want to be pissed most of the time! Only joking. There is one very important point raised in this article in my opinion, and that is the 11.pm closing time for licensed (drink selling ) premises. It is utterly ridiculous and, leaving aside the historical fact that it was imposed during World War 1 in order to maximise production of munitions (and therefore is an anachronism in the 21st Century), what happens at 10.45 is a 'feeding fenzy' at the bar to get that last drink in. Half an hour later the pubs disgorge hordes of pissed up people all looking, mostly unsuccessfully, for that 'late pint'. It's almost a Pavlovian response; the bell rings, bar staff shout "Last Orders!" and there's a shift throughout the pub as people decide that 'one more before closing' has to be got. Only a few years ago pubs would close at 3pm in the afternoon (2pm on Sundays) and then re-open at 7pm. There was a desert in between. Most people knew where they could get a drink though - working mens clubs, Thames river boats, private members clubs, a friendly landlord and so on. It's a wonder we had any tourists! When the law changed, the Daily Mail reading classes predicted drunkenness in the streets every afternoon as people were allowed to drink all day. What these muppets couldn't grasp was that people didn't want to drink all day - they wanted to enter and leave a pub at a time of their choosing. Anarchy did not reign, in fact offences for drunkenness in the afternoon took a dive and stayed down. It's not as easy as just changing the times though. Landlords (licensees) have to have time off as well (!) as well as staff/employee concerns. Then there is the local environment, the neighbours and so on. Over and beyond that is the attitude to drink that is prevalent in this sceptered isle. There is a strange attitude towards alcohol in the UK. On the one hand young men are brought up to believe that it is manly to be able to down 8 pints a night and remain standing ( teetotallers are figures of suspicion) and on the other the licensing hours in places of entertainment are some of the most rigid that you'll come across anywhere. Advertising? We're drowning in it. The 'youth' market is targetted with the idea that supping a bottle of pop with vodka in it makes you some kind of sophisticate; you'll get the girl/boy if you drink this! TV programmes like 'Club Reps' show that you just can't have a good time unless you are pissed out of your head and puking in a Falaraki gutter. If you don't subscribe to this idea of a good time then you are weird, odd, or a borderline homosexual. As a young teenager at school I was amazed by the French and their attitude to alcohol. We envied French kids of our age who were not only allowed in restaurants (real ones - not Beefeaters), and were welcome, but also they were allowed to consume wine with a meal. They learned at an early age a respect for this stuff. We didn't. Our rite of passage by age 18 was quaffing a pint of warm pissy ale, pretending that we liked it (we didn't) and then repeating the action until pissed and stupid. ..."and you'll be a man my son". I used to frequent a bar in Amsterdam (now, sadly, closed) where the lady owner would not serve us 'big' glasses. Her words "We are not closing at 11 o' clock, so when you want another drink I will give you another small one". The binge drinking mentality was disrupted by that simple piece of common sense. We all got (very) merry indeed, but by the wee small hours we weren't out of our skulls and were ready for a good night's sleep. I like a good drink - check the signature - but by and large I understand that if 3 drinks have made me happy, then it does not follow that 6 drinks will make me twice as happy. But then I'm not an 18 year old kid looking for a shag or a fight (in England the two are virtually the same thing after a few pints. Psychologists discuss...!) Is there any country in Europe (apart from Belgium) that is virtually synonymous with beer than Germany? The Oktoberfest? The bierkellers? The Germans aren't having problems on the scale of the United Kingdom because they know how to use alcohol - as an addition to a good night out, not the whole purpose of it. So, meanwhile let us carry on being treated like 5 year olds ("Bedtime kiddies") and continue costing the taxpayer millions. Lose your friends and families, your jobs, your sanity and maybe your life. But God Forbid that you get caught with a quarter of something that grew in a field or under a lamp. Then you're for it! Finally - anyone fancy a pint tonight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solar Posted September 20, 2003 Report Share Posted September 20, 2003 ...but they define a binge as 8 units of alcohol for a man (and 6 for a woman). Thats a mere 4 pints or a bottle of wine. It might be quite heavy, but hardly a binge! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayjann Posted September 20, 2003 Report Share Posted September 20, 2003 lovely post Carew,agree with just about all you say. but one thing puzzles me.."I like a good drink" i'm still laughing and rolling on the floor....... see you before Xmas i hope?...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 20, 2003 Report Share Posted September 20, 2003 Seems to me the Brits are the BEST binge drinkers in Europe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carew66 Posted September 20, 2003 Report Share Posted September 20, 2003 sayjann, I'de say it's odds on that there'll be another soiree before Christmas. More than a few. There'll have to be a full pre-trip briefing the week before the advance party goes out for a start, but hopefully something before then in any case. Cor, all this talk of units eh? Units? "I'll have a unit of lager please" Crazy innit? Work, the curse of the drinking classes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentors Posted September 21, 2003 Report Share Posted September 21, 2003 Johnny Was: Seems to me the Brits are the BEST binge drinkers in Europe. Yes i agree, the best drinker, but is it worth to drink to death :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALHOLK Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 Hi! As a young teenager at school I was amazed by the French and their attitude to alcohol. We envied French kids of our age who were not only allowed in restaurants (real ones - not Beefeaters), and were welcome, but also they were allowed to consume wine with a meal. They learned at an early age a respect for this stuff. They also have one of the highest incidence of liver ailments in Europe. Is there any country in Europe (apart from Belgium) that is virtually synonymous with beer than Germany? Denmark? Their lager is at least as good as the best German lager. I'm not talking about the Carlsberg available in Thailand. regards ALHOLK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spirit_of_town_hall Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 Their lager is at least as good as the best German lager. I'm not talking about the Carlsberg available in Thailand. The Carlsberg in Thailand is not so good I don't think. What Danish beer would you recommend for overall taste and crispness? STH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALHOLK Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 Hi! Carlsberg Sort Guld (Black Gold), Tuborg FF (Fine Festival) although I don't know if it is still available as I haven't been to Denmark for quite some time. I used to like Dynamit among the strong beers. There are also a variety of beers with less alcohol than the export beers. E.g. Tuborg Green, Carlsberg Hof etc. To be honest I have never seen these beers outside Scandinavia. regards ALHOLK P.S. Stay away from the "Carlsberg Elephant" beer. I tastes like grain alcohol diluted with piss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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