Post-Trip Essay


Post-Trip Essay
Annabelle Peterson
December 21st, 2018
"What could Americans learn from this country?  Identify an idea or practice that you think Americans would be well-served by understanding better.  Research it in greater depth and articulate its value."

An Attitude Towards Alcohol
Intoxicating substances, whether it is beer, wine, or other spirits, have been interwoven into the fabric of civilizations since their earliest years. In the United Kingdom, the young adults have embraced alcohol and turned the drinking culture into one of common socialization. Pubs aren’t just synonymous with booze, but with university clubs who hold their meetings their and tired study groups after hours of staring at tests. One of the biggest differences that separates the UK from America is by their drinking cultures. Americans would be well-served by understanding how strong liquors plays a role in social gatherings, how alcohol-related incidents are handled in the country, and why alcohol is less taboo in the United Kingdom than in the United States.
Social gatherings in the UK are much different in that alcohol has many different meanings and uses while in large groups. What this means is that intoxicants are more than liquid in a bottle that’s being passed around. One of the ways alcohol is used is as an invitation to join in for festivities, events, or even just hanging out. Rachel Wellborn, a study abroad director, stated, “If someone extends an invitation to you to go to a pub with them, they are inviting you to relax with them. If you decline, this can be seen as an affront” ("Drinking Culture, n.d.). In her quote, Wellborn explain how even seemingly innocuous invitations that are related to the substance can be loaded with meaning as drinking has an entire etiquette to go with it. The reason why declining going out for a drink can be so displeasing, especially without a genuine explanation, is because only the middle and upper-class socialites drank spirits when alcohol became popularized and to decline was the equivalent of showing they weren’t good enough to associate with. While drinking has been extended to all classes and tiers of wealth, the connotation is still lingering. Another way that alcohol is used in social groups is as an enhancer to an already great night. An example of this is in northern Scotland, where activities such as ceilidh dancing and balls have taken the place of rowdy nightclubs. These occasions can involve alcohol but not as the main reason for attending. Part of this revival of more traditional activities is due to the low-pressure but still high-energy environment that they create, a situation that has attracted the younger crowd. ("A Brief History") Americans would be better suited by understanding the role of spirits in gatherings because US youth treat drinking like a sport and a way to relieve pressure from school, family, and other outside sources. The general attitude held by US citizens between 18 and 24 years of age is that they “tend to grant [drinking] heroic status, restrict it from youth and tolerate drunken behavior.” (Janet Chrzan, 7). In the statement, Chrzan explains how drinking is treated as an achievement and provokes the idea of increased social status in America. If students in the United states adopted the way that UK youth treated alcohol, it could be postulated that the amount of dangerous drinking would go down due to drinking being considered an activity rather than an “achievement”. As expressed above, both countries and the youth adopt different attitudes towards the consumption of alcohol.
Another way that the UK differs from America is the way that alcohol-related incidents are treated and criminalized. The US can benefit from understanding English and Scottish drinking habits by understanding the way emergency services deal with and prevent alcohol related incidents. It was reported in 2015 that “37% of ambulance time is spent on alcohol-related incidents.” (IAS, 2015). This time is not just emergencies, but also on calls related to binge drinking that may not be life-threatening. One way that the government and its funded branches are combating the waste of resources due to inappropriate calls is by advocating for students to only call 999 if the incident is when binge drinking became life-threatening or it’s an incident not related to alcohol. By doing this, they hope to continue the trend of only using publicly funded ambulance care for emergencies, not just cases of people getting a little too tipsy. A reason why this pressure is more prevalent in the United Kingdom is because misuse of the NHS puts pressure on the clinicians to spend precious time on drunks instead of on needy people who genuinely require assistance. On the other hand, drinking is such a culturally accepted activity that law enforcement do not punish equally for the same crimes in both countries. An example of this is if a stolen or fake ID card is used to get into an age-restricted area. Instead of arresting the perpetrator, the police may instead simply take away the ID and wait for the ID’s owner to pick it up from the station. In the United States, this would warrant a much larger punishment or even a fine. This example shows how far the US criminalize acts that involve obtaining or attempting to obtain alcohol.  A lesson that Americans can take away is to discourage use of expensive ambulance trips for minor incidents and reduce punishments for minor infractions involving alcohol. By removing major punishments, the stigma around alcohol and it’s worth as a “taboo” substance may decrease the likelihood of people attempting to obtain it. Because there is such a large pressure from the government and from the culture, citizens of the UK are more informed and knowledgeable when it comes to treatment of binge drinking and how the law can punish for it.
Drinking has become so widespread in England, Scotland, and Wales due to the low drinking age and lack of taboo that surrounds it. Young adults can begin drinking at eighteen while Americans have to wait until they are twenty-one. Universities in both countries are known for the copious amounts of booze, but why is that if the drinking ages are different? It’s due to the fact that Americans have made drinking while under twenty-one a taboo, criminalizing act. Americans can be better served by adopting the idea that drinking between ages 18 and 21 is not an immoral behavior because then drinking would be done more responsibly. As stated above, drinking while underage has become a “heroic act” where the brands someone drinks is a quick way to see what someone can afford and whether they’re a heavyweight or a lightweight. (Chrzan, 8) On the other hand, people in the UK don’t treat drinking, especially over-drinking, as an accomplishment. Much of the taboo nature that surrounds alcohol in the US is due to the previous history of it existing in the country. Alcohol has gained a reputation of being prohibited and being used as a substance to flaunt was partially due to Prohibition. After such a drastic measure, people found great fun in the danger of indulging in prohibited items. Because of movements like this, the lingering effect of seeing alcohol as a “risky” substance makes it popular to consume and flaunt, especially for college students who are underage. If US citizens adopted the attitudes that UK citizens had towards alcohol, much of the idea that drinking is a risky, noble behavior that shirks off an “unjust law” may diminish and therefore make drinking safer and more controlled.
The above paragraphs have illustrated why there is such a massive difference between drinking culture in the UK and US as well as what America can gain by understanding how the UK approaches alcohol. Furthermore, it’s also important to acknowledge why this matters to the US. According to a study in the US in 2017, alcohol consumption has increased in the US over the past few years (Domonoske, 2017). The rising number of people that now have the potential to become incapacitated or become involved in an alcohol-related injury or incident means that more standards and precautions will have to be put in. By learning from British drinking culture, American society may learn how to regulate and decrease lawless acts such as public drunkenness and alcohol-related violence. Learning from the UK is also important because they have had much more success over the past few years in getting people to binge drink less. The results of a 2017 study show that less people are drinking over the recommended amount of alcohol in the UK, a success which has further eliminated accidents and injuries ("Alcohol Consumption", n.d.). Practicing safer drinking habits and implementing tactics that other countries have successfully used may help America take a step in becoming a more drinking-conscious culture.

The view of alcohol in the United Kingdom is much different than that of the United States. Not only has society adopted the substance into their culture and has erased the stigma around drinking it but the government has also been active in reducing the wasted healthcare hours and criminalization that surrounds the liquid. By taking away much of the stigma and taboo connotations attached to drinking, the UK has been able to reduce dangerous consumption habits. In summary, the United States would benefit greatly and could prevent may alcohol-related incidents by learning more about how citizens of the UK approach drinking culture.


Bibliography:
A Brief History of Scottish Ceilidhs and Scottish Ceilidh Dancing. (n.d.). Retrieved from
Alcohol Consumption UK. (n.d.). Retrieved from
Institute of Alcohol Studies. (2015). Alcohol’s IMpact on Emergency Services. United
Kingdom

Chrzan, J. (2013). Alcohol: Social drinking in cultural context. doi:10.4324/9780203071380

Domonoske, C. (2017, August 11). Drinking On The Rise In U.S., Especially For Women,
Drinking Culture: U.S. Versus U.K. (2015, November 09). Retrieved from
http://ndsuspectrum.com/drinking-culture-u-s-versus-u-k/


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