Why can't Americans and Australians hold their alcohol?

[Allezfan]

The World Health Organisation does a survey every four years on alcohol consumption in different countries.

They do it by working out the percentage in alochol of each drink sold, how many are sold and how many people live in that country of drinking age (15+).

So by that process they work out that Moldova is the worlds drunkest country as it consumes more than 18 litres of pure alcohol for every person in the country every year.

In Russia and South Korea it's about 15 litres. In Ireland & Portugal about 14.5. Britian and France 13.5 (the french cheat by drinking mostly wine, mind). Germany 12, Spain 11 and most of europe is at about those levels.

But our colonial brethren are frankly wimps who mostly stagger home legless after their first pint.

South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the USA all consume less than 10 litres a person per year. The USA drinks less alcohol per person then pretty much the entire developed world.

So why do the people of these colonies, of mostly good british and irish stock, become such utter pussies when a pint of beer is put infront of them?

Is it just because their beers taste rancid and awful so they can't bring themselves to drink them?

Anyone have any ideas?

 

[johnnydawg68]

We have jobs to go to the next day.

 

[Allezfan]

We have jobs to go to the next day.

More unemployed than the UK, as a percentage of the country. But good effort.

 

[roydo]

The cost? Dunno. The Americans dont surprise me, as they are pretty into health/paranoia about health, cos theres no NHS thingy there.

Or maybe the wimpier countries drink stuff with lower alcohol content in general? So they do drink as much as us normal folk, but less wine/spirits, and more beer.

Or that they are such ace places to live, they dont need to drown their sorrows as much.

But dunno.

 

[DanEFC92]

The cost? Dunno. The Americans dont surprise me, as they are pretty into health/paranoia about health, cos theres no NHS thingy there.

Or maybe the wimpier countries drink stuff with lower alcohol content in general? So they do drink as much as us normal folk, but less wine/spirits, and more beer.

Or that they are such ace places to live, they dont need to drown their sorrows as much.

But dunno.

Yet the most obese country in the world (or is it second most, did Mexico recently over take them?)

 

[Garrick]

Yet the most obese country in the world (or is it second most, did Mexico recently over take them?)

Mexico overtook us. WE'RE NO LONGER NUMBER 1! WE'RE NO LONGER NUMBER 1!

As for US drinking habits, the drinking 'culture' is extremely strong in some places, like most of the Upper Midwest, and pretty weak in other places.

Most places where alcohol consumption is at high levels also have pretty strong craft brewing and specialty distillery industries, too. Denver, Portland, Austin, my own lovely Milwaukee, etc.

 

[Hellerad]

In America there is a religious/moral component. Prohibition may be gone, but the protestant churches throughout the US strongly frown upon drinking. That upbringing probably lowers the drinking rates and certainly lowers the reported drinking rates.

 

[roydo]

Yet the most obese country in the world (or is it second most, did Mexico recently over take them?)

Oh yeah. Forgot about that!

 

[Moomin]

In America there is a religious/moral component. Prohibition may be gone, but the protestant churches throughout the US strongly frown upon drinking. That upbringing probably lowers the drinking rates and certainly lowers the reported drinking rates.

I was thinking the god squad might have something to do with it. Just tell them followers of Islam don't drink either then offer them a whisky chaser.

 

[paulbefc]

They should hang their heads in shame tbh.

 

[EFCNIK]

Aussies are just us but slurrier. All they do is get extremely ****ed and want to fight and of course this clashes when abroad.

 

[drinehart72]

I think the reason for lack of American consumption has been covered, religous aspect, health nuts, etc. The only thing I will add is my own experience, I will go long stretches without drinking and then go out for a night and binge drink.

My own experience when I was last in London was that the Brits couldn't drink. We closed three pubs down in about an hour in Soho (it's actually smart to stop running the tube after midnight to mitigate public drunkeness). We also drank two Brits under the table at the Bell & Hare after the Tottenham v Everton game last spring. Granted the beer of choice was Red Stripe (which tastes better in UK than here in the states for some reason) and the sample size wasn't exactly large to draw any conclusions.

 

[BlueAmigo]

Not sure on the state of North American beer, the corporation breweries serve up sewerage for sure, but I've found some of the lesser known and craft breweries to be some of the best in the wold, as well as pretty strong too!

 

[johnnydawg68]

The only thing I will add is my own experience, I will go long stretches without drinking and then go out for a night and binge drink.

Just did this. Don't really drink that much anymore for a variety of reasons, cost being a big one. But went out Friday night and got hammered, and I'm STILL paying for it today.

 

[Hellerad]

The only thing I will add is my own experience, I will go long stretches without drinking and then go out for a night and binge drink.

Just did this. Don't really drink that much anymore for a variety of reasons, cost being a big one. But went out Friday night and got hammered, and I'm STILL paying for it today.

Yeah. I've had European friends point this out to me. The motivations and focus of drinking in America are just different. A lot more focus on getting absolutely wasted.