Booze Britain

Drinking is a pretty big part of British life, and there are a handful of differences I've noticed in the culture here that I thought were interesting:

Going out for a Drink

In London, people go out for a drink directly after work, rather than going home first like we're used to. This is because London is such a massive city it just doesn't make sense to commute all the way home and back out for a drink. London's underground also closes shortly after midnight, so everyone times their nights out to be much earlier to start and earlier to finish. London pubs are at their busiest between around 6pm until 10pm, which is quite a contrast to the pre drink and go out around 10pm attitude back home. People also seem to go out for a few drinks most nights, rather than save it all up for the weekend like we do.

This doesn't include clubbing, which is an all night affair, and I think they stay out until the trains start up again. I wouldn't even really say they're comparable because I'm pretty sure it's more drugs than drinking anyways.

Pubs in London are also just a bit different, many have bizarre names and appear to be decorated just how they were 100 years ago. Drinking outside the pub is often more desirable than drinking in the pub, and is completely allowed. Some ask if you want your beer for outside and give you a plastic pint, others don't care. Some pubs are brightly lit and don't play music which is popular with a lot of people who just want to chat over a beer. London beers are all room temperature ales, but all pubs have a selection of lagers that are cold, but it's advertised as cold on the tap like that's special. Cider is also a lot more popular, Strongbow is on tap everywhere and most places have one or two others.

Events

Drinking seems to be much less taboo than in Canada. At the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland for example, there were countless stands set up selling beer and mulled wine. Everybody was drinking freely wandering around, amongst families and children. Even the cartoons on the fair rides were often holding a beer. Both times we were there, however, I didn't notice a single incident. In comparison, every time I have been packed into the beer garden at the PNE, where everyone would rather be wandering around with a beer in hand, there have been arguments and fights and tables of drinks tipped over.

They also charge the same price for a drink at a concert or event as they would at a pub, rather than doubling the price like we're used to.

Accessibility

Liquor can be bought in every grocery store, and most convenience stores are called an 'Off License' and sell until late at night. Not only is this incredibly convenient, but it means there's no over taxed government monopoly and there's actually competition and beer goes on sale. Of all the things more expensive here, booze is one that's cheaper. Goes to show the gouging we get in BC.

There are also so many more places to go. Where Vancouver has all it's bars centralized on Granville or in Gastown, and a shockingly low number of local pubs, London has dozens of entertainment areas and thousands of pubs. This means not everyone is packed into small spaces on the same street and forced out at the same time, which everyone knows leads to trouble every weekend in Vancouver. A few more liquor licenses and a little less bending over for the vocal minority crying NIMBY would go a long way. At a time when drinking and driving is such a major concern the radius between local pubs in rural BC seems a little bit ridiculous in comparison to the abundance available in the UK.

Public Places

While there are the occasional signs prohibiting drinking on the tube or in certain parks, it is generally accepted that someone having a beer at the beach or wine with a picnic in the park is not a problem. The rules seem to be in place to give police the power to use their discretion with groups of people drinking and being idiots in public. This is such a refreshing attitude compared to treating everyone with a beer like a criminal in BC. People here can't believe we're getting $230 fines for having one beer at the beach. Having a drink and being drunk and disorderly are two different things, and I've seen way less alcohol related incidents in this city that's 10 times the size than I've seen in an average Friday night in Vancouver.


Both countries have problems with drinking. Britain's seems to be a deeper issue of alcohol addiction that is more of a problem in the homes of people who can't draw the line. I suppose it could be argued that a relaxed attitude to social drinking can lead to alcoholism, but that's along the same lines as marijuana creating heroin addicts and video games creating criminals. As far as people being able to go out and have a drink without being hassled by police or beating each other up, they seem to have it pretty figured out here.

Canada's problem is an issue of trying to over control drinking and dealing with the backlashes. Treat people like adults and maybe they'll start acting like them. Maybe once they realize drug prohibition isn't working they'll have a look at the results of their oppressive attitude towards drinking. I'm not gonna hold my breath on that one though, my beer will get warm.

-Justin