alcohol culture

There's a documentary on BBC Three at the moment about the rise on binge drinking in Britain over the last few years. This week's episode is about young women drinking to excess, and how this causes testosterone levels to rise (the opposite of men) which makes them more aggressive. This increased aggression causes many problems for police on the streets of England and Wales. Women are, on average, out-drinking men of the same age as of 2006: this is called "ladette culture". There is a lot of binge drinking all around while on holiday in tourist resorts in Spain and the Mediterranean for example, creating a bad international impression about the English people and culture.

Now of course there's nothing wrong with a good pint now and then, but my clubbing days are over. I used to drink a lot when I was younger and now that I'm older I go for quality rather than quantity, generally speaking. But there are many people out there who haven't learned this lesson yet. People in the cities here don't drive -- there is no need because of the excellent public transportation systems -- so the need to drive home afterwards doesn't moderate intake. Drinking in public is perfectly legal here, so you see many people drinking on the streets: I saw someone crack open a can of lager on the bus today, but he was a Dad out with his kid on a Sunday afternoon, not an enraged youth bent on drinking themselves into an alcoholic stupor.

I'm not sure what the answer to this binge-drinking culture is, short of increased police (who have enough to deal with lately) presence, but what causes it? There's certainly plenty to do in London, so it's not a lack of options, as is often the case in Nova Scotia. It's an interesting cultural phenomenon. I'm curious to see if it has to do with the general sense of ennui created by rising tensions in the world, and the associated underlying fear of terrorism. Education, awareness campaigns and social programs might help, but blaming the Blair government probably isn't the answer either. I'm tempted to go and see for myself what it's like in the club zones, there are several nearby, but it does seem a bit dangerous for the sake of intellectual curiosity.

In the meantime, let's try to keep it civilized people ... Cheers! Salud! Slante! À votre santé! За здоровье!