Boozing In Britain – A Drink Too Far?

As students, we all enjoy a drink or two: pints in the Ram or an outrageous number of Jagerbombs in Arena are a classic example. It seems that university students are convinced they fall into an elite category of people who drink a lot but are also supposed to drink on a regular basis. The drinking culture in clubs and pubs is impossible to avoid and in a lot of people’s minds, being at university is synonymous with the idea that we should go out and ‘get hammered’. Once we leave the confines of our much adored university drinking scene, that kind of drinking will stop right? 

It seems that this may be far from the case. Drinking is not only part of our university culture it’s a massive part of British culture. Our teenage girls are said to be the biggest binge drinkers in Europe and we have an estimated 1.6 million problem drinkers. Although recent evidence has indicated that people are drinking less, the situation is far from being booze free, with alcohol being classified as Britain’s most harmful ‘drug’. 

Why is it a problem? 

A reputation for drinking

We’ve all witnessed that person who’s simply gone too far on a night out: the girl staggering around Timepiece or the drunkenly aggressive ‘lad’ we’ve all had the misfortune of encountering in clubs. One foreign student said she was ‘appalled’ at the amount people drank on a night out and the state they would get themselves in. Add to that the plethora of TV shows like ‘Magaluf Weekender’ or ‘Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents’ which portray the main interest of British teens as getting drunk and we don’t have a pretty picture. Some of our behavior (particularly abroad) has ensured that Britain has built itself a reputation for enjoying alcohol just a little too much, with a third of expats saying that they strongly disliked Britain’s booze culture: a stereotype that may not be without its reasons. 

Dangerous behavior

We’ve all sent a text we immediately regretted or had a little stumble on the dance floor – not the end of the world! Unfortunately some actions have consequences and drink is often at the root of bad behavior on nights out, including fights or verbal assaults. This is not only a danger to yourself and those around you but has revealed itself as an incredible waste of police time. ‘Drunk tanks’ have been proposed as the new solution to containing drunk & disorderly behavior: privately run cells which would hand a bill to the person in the morning, ensuring he or she pays for his behavior, a likely deterrent to over drinking on a night out. Not where you want to end up after a particularly rough night!

 Health

The NHS advises that people who over-drink are placing serious strain on their health and well being. Common problems include liver problems (liver failure is now the 5th biggest killer in the UK), and reduced fertility. Excessive drinking is also said to increase the risk of cancers of the mouth and throat as well as breast cancer. 

But how personally responsible are big drinkers within a society which constantly encourages drinking? The television is full of advertisements for alcohol (unlike countries like Norway or France where this kind of advertising has been banned), deals on cheaper alcohol are promoted in shops, supermarkets and even airports and train stations and alcohol can be bought 24/7.

Although excessive alcohol consumption is an issue that needs to be individually addressed, perhaps our society’s way of thinking needs to change as well. It used to be thought that drinking alcohol in the morning was a sure sign of an alcoholic, but when an airport café offers a ‘Full English Breakfast and A Pint for £10’, what does this say about how we think about alcohol and the part it plays in our everyday lives? So what do you think- are we taking it a drink too far?  

Photo Credits: The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Telegraph,

Sources: BBC News, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Telegraph, Celia Walden, India Knight, Caitlin Moran,