Why do British people drink so early in the day?

iceqieen

When I want to eat at a pub when touristing in the UK I have to make sure I go super early or all the pubs are filled with drunk people.. what's up with that?

Why do you just go straight to the pub? Shouldnt you go home first? Change clothes, say hi to the family.. you know, normal stuff!

PeriwinkleRobinson

When alcohol is on the line, there is no such thing as family

FlaxMilk

I've just returned from a vacation in London and was amazed at the employees hitting the pubs as soon as they leave work. I mentioned this to a British friend and he just replied that England was the land of plenty and they had to support their pubs. He then left work and went straight to the pubs without seeing his kids first - what is the sense of that?? Bars in the US open much later and yet we have alcohol problems here too.

I can always tell the British tourists here because they are making a beeline for the bars, wearing their I William and Kate shirts, even in the dead of winter.

mmipanda

Omg u r xenophobe

EvgeniZyntx

I saw that movie!

ChrisM8971

I find it helps stop me eating really large portions of food

iceqieen

I find it helps stop me eating really large portions of food

oh kinda like drinking 1/2 liter of water before eating.. except more fun?

bubaluboo

I replied to this question in the other thread. It's true, we do have a culture of tumbling out of work to the pub...it's not great and our British livers are suffering. I guess it's called letting off a bit of steam after work. I don't for one moment believe your comment from the British friend though...makes it all a little fictitious sounding. Unfortunately in some of our work cultures, the after work drink is an important aspect of networking and peer pressure is involved.

ChrisM8971

I find it helps stop me eating really large portions of food

oh kinda like drinking 1/2 liter of water before eating.. except more fun?

You got it and it also helps me forget what I was intending to eat anyway

dbmata

When I want to eat at a pub when touristing in the UK I have to make sure I go super early or all the pubs are filled with drunk people.. what's up with that?

Why do you just go straight to the pub? Shouldnt you go home first? Change clothes, say hi to the family.. you know, normal stuff!

I don't think that noun can be used as a verb.

Livingdeadgirl44

I've just returned from a vacation in London and was amazed at the employees hitting the pubs as soon as they leave work. I mentioned this to a British friend and he just replied that England was the land of plenty and they had to support their pubs. He then left work and went straight to the pubs without seeing his kids first - what is the sense of that?? Bars in the US open much later and yet we have alcohol problems here too.

I can always tell the British tourists here because they are making a beeline for the bars, wearing their I William and Kate shirts, even in the dead of winter.

I don't get this, if you want to go for a drink with your workmates you have to go after work. Otherwise people are off on their 1hr, 1.5hr, or 2hr commute in separate directions and no one is going to then go back into town after getting changed...

This is a London thing though, because no one in London drives to work. Since moving out of London we only do work drinks a couple of times a year because people have to plan about leaving their cars and how they are going to get in on public transport and the cost of a taxi home.

iceqieen

I replied to this question in the other thread. It's true, we do have a culture of tumbling out of work to the pub...it's not great and our British livers are suffering. I guess it's called letting off a bit of steam after work. I don't for one moment believe your comment from the British friend though...makes it all a little fictitious sounding. Unfortunately in some of our work cultures, the after work drink is an important aspect of networking and peer pressure is involved.

I have heard that bit from a Brit before, the one about it being important for networking. It makes sense. I guess its a less formal version of going out for lunch or dinner together.

Icelanders take their bingedrinking habit out in a different setting - late on friday and saturday (sometimes thursday and sunday) nights and into the morning after.. really screws up your sleep cycle.

csuhar

When I want to eat at a pub when touristing in the UK I have to make sure I go super early or all the pubs are filled with drunk people.. what's up with that?

Why do you just go straight to the pub? Shouldnt you go home first? Change clothes, say hi to the family.. you know, normal stuff!

People do similar things in the US, and there can be various resons. One is that stopping for a drink on the way home may allow for some decompression before getting home. Another is that it's an opportunity to coworkers to come together in a social environment after the working day.

As long as it's done responsibly, it can be a good thing. The challenge is that not everyone has the same definition as "drunk". Some people WILL be genuinely intoxicated. But, especially in pubs or bars where people are there to be social, it's possible for people to be acting silly even if they're not actually intoxicated. They just get caught up in the environment. My coworkers and I will often have a sizeable change in personality before the first beer ever reaches our lips because we're there to relax.

bcattoes

What??? What part of America do you people live in that there is no Happy Hour and bars don't open until late?

PaleoChocolateBear

You think that's early, I've seen people in Baltimore who work grave yard shift get off work and have a beer at a bar at 8am. I was jealous of them

iceqieen

I've just returned from a vacation in London and was amazed at the employees hitting the pubs as soon as they leave work. I mentioned this to a British friend and he just replied that England was the land of plenty and they had to support their pubs. He then left work and went straight to the pubs without seeing his kids first - what is the sense of that?? Bars in the US open much later and yet we have alcohol problems here too.

I can always tell the British tourists here because they are making a beeline for the bars, wearing their I William and Kate shirts, even in the dead of winter.

I don't get this, if you want to go for a drink with your workmates you have to go after work. Otherwise people are off on their 1hr, 1.5hr, or 2hr commute in separate directions and no one is going to then go back into town after getting changed...

This is a London thing though, because no one in London drives to work. Since moving out of London we only do work drinks a couple of times a year because people have to plan about leaving their cars and how they are going to get in on public transport and the cost of a taxi home.

the commute is a good point.. I am too used to a quick max 1hour to get to work, max 20 min to midtown routine.. spoiled, I know

I mean, who wants to spend 3 hours on commute to spend a few more hours with people you see every day the whole day anyway?

FlaxMilk

I replied to this question in the other thread. It's true, we do have a culture of tumbling out of work to the pub...it's not great and our British livers are suffering. I guess it's called letting off a bit of steam after work. I don't for one moment believe your comment from the British friend though...makes it all a little fictitious sounding. Unfortunately in some of our work cultures, the after work drink is an important aspect of networking and peer pressure is involved.

My British friend? Why wouldn't you believe that? If it's a part of social networking, why wouldn't you want to support your pubs? You need them if that's where you get your work done.

Melissa22G

IN for booze.

ChrisM8971

I can always tell the British tourists here because they are making a beeline for the bars, wearing their I William and Kate shirts, even in the dead of winter.

In the same way you found the Hawaiian shirt comment offensive on the other thread I find this one offensive, now if you had said Prince Charles shirt we would have been good

iceqieen

You think that's early, I've seen people in Baltimore who work grave yard shift get off work and have a beer at a bar at 8am. I was jealous of them

Or the Danes that start drinking when they get to work at 9am.. My dads brother used to work at a shipyard where they wouldnt even do any work on Fridays cause they were too busy relaxing with a cold beer.

dbmata

I sincerely love coarse troll threads revolving around impossible to quantify feelings of social superiority.

Just never seem to find them so early these days.