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British Vs European Drinking Culture

When the British government introduced 24-hour drinking to England and Wales in 2005, the intent, they claimed, was to assuage the closing time madness of 11pm into a more civilised European approach to drink. Some predicted social meltdown where the last lingering walls of resistance would finally be shattered for a nation of troublesome boozers as they descended towards the alcohol Armageddon. Others were more optimistic, courting a vision of cultivated alfresco dining avec fine wines and intelligent conversation under the stars, just like Johnny Foreigner.

In the short time since the relaxation of the laws, neither the apocalypse nor the Europeanisation has materialised and serious assessment of the social experiment would be more productive if deferred until a later time. But the fundamental question still lies unanswered: Can the British ever hope to foster a continental drinking mentality where the focus is less on intoxication and more on appreciation of good food and stimulating company?

The doubters point to our Anglo-Saxon heritage as proof of an inability to escape our wild-drinking ways. The validity of this argument is somewhat diminished when one realises that the Dutch share similar Germanic roots yet anyone who has visited Holland will testify that there is considerably less booze-fuelled aggression on their city streets, with the exception of the British Stag parties who stagger alongside the canals barraging bemused locals with football chants. Similarly, the Finnish, who suffer high levels of alcohol related illness among their citizenry, possibly due to the close proximity of the Russian vodka lakes and the wretchedness of spending long winters in perpetual darkness, enjoy a comparatively docile and amiable drinking culture despite sharing similar licensing laws with Britain (although advertising and the sale of strong liquor are more restrictive).

In France, drinking has none of the in-your-face explicitness that is prevalent in British culture and alcohol is treated more as a compliment to food than a mode of inebriation. Per head, alcohol consumption is actually higher in France but it is slowly declining whereas in the UK consumption has increased fairly rapidly over the last four decades. In comparison, Spain and Italy also have decreasing consumption rates but northern European states such as Holland and Denmark have shown an increase although not to the extent of Britain.

Although seven EU states have a higher alcohol consumption rate than Britain, we clearly stand out as a nation of rowdy drinkers. When Brits venture to the sunspots of the Mediterranean, our drinking habits follow and transform Spanish or Greek coastal resorts into mini-manchesters during the summer months when natives run for cover and cling to the solace of the boost to the local economy. Back home, the nocturnal city street remains an edgy place for the sober mind. The government continues to put forward proposals to reclaim the night-time city centres from the drunks and revellers but there is a growing consensus that this is one battle they can not win.