Brits drink more than they think
By Libby
There's a new study out in the UK that suggests previous metrics were flawed and using more current methodology concluded, Brits drink more than past studies would indicate. I don't know if that's true but I doubt they're in any danger of becoming the world standard for drunks.
Speaking from personal experience, I've hoisted more than a few brews with various ethnic groups back in the days when I used to have three or so beers before I went out drinking. Brits are surely good drinkers but they have a long way to go before they can beat Germans or Czechs. However, the gold standard still is, and I think probably always will be, the Irish. They're the only ones that were ever able to drink me under the table anyway.
As my dear friend Harry McColgan used to say. "You're not really drunk until you're holding on to the grass to keep from falling off the face of the earth." Hard not to agree with that, when you're lying on the lawn next to him.
There's a new study out in the UK that suggests previous metrics were flawed and using more current methodology concluded, Brits drink more than past studies would indicate. I don't know if that's true but I doubt they're in any danger of becoming the world standard for drunks.
Speaking from personal experience, I've hoisted more than a few brews with various ethnic groups back in the days when I used to have three or so beers before I went out drinking. Brits are surely good drinkers but they have a long way to go before they can beat Germans or Czechs. However, the gold standard still is, and I think probably always will be, the Irish. They're the only ones that were ever able to drink me under the table anyway.
As my dear friend Harry McColgan used to say. "You're not really drunk until you're holding on to the grass to keep from falling off the face of the earth." Hard not to agree with that, when you're lying on the lawn next to him.
Labels: dangerous idiots, my life
posted by Libby Spencer at 2:00 PM
5 Comments:
More perspective. I lived in London during the 1980s and experienced this first hand: All pubs closed at 11:30, and drinkup time was 11:00 PM (a remnant regulation from WW-II). The result was more "binge" drinking, and any alcohol/drug counselor will tell you that "binging" drinking leads to more dependency and abuse disorders than leisurely drinking.
When Scotland eliminated mandatory pub closings, "binge" drinking declined along with dependency and abuse drinking.
Ever drink with an Aussie, or better yet, a Kiwi?
I've spent a fair amount of time in Sydney, and there were some heavy drinkers in our office, but the best cocktailer was a fella from NZ.
Sweet Jesus, can that guy drink. He's since moved to Chicago and is marrying an American next year. Now that will be a party!
SC, I used to bartend in MA, and they binge drinking at the end of the night is universal.
MW, I have spent time drinking with Aussies in my travels and I'd admit they're in top ten, but they still don't beat the Irish.
To my knowledge I've never tried to outdrink a Kiwi. I'm not sure I've ever even met one, but heck I couldn't a Brit under the table anymore. I lost my drinking chops years ago. Now I blog instead of drink...
Libby, "binge" drinking is a known risk factor with respect to the incidence of alcohol dependency/abuse disorders. This has been observed and quantified by numerous clinial researchers over the years, i.e. not the same as anecdotal observations at the pub.
I'm an amateur sociologist SC. My point was I've seen how the phenonmenon takes people down the path to alcholism. I guess I wasn't that clear, but it is a universal problem.
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