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,
Minorities, Older
Adults. Retrieved fromhttps://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/08/10/542409957/drinking
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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