The last days of Sodom and Gomorrah

[AdamW]

As 24-hour drinking has now officially come in, I checked the news this afternoon expecting to see drunken debauchery erupting all over this great nation, but it appears that we haven't all turned into a nation of stampeding 24-hour drunks yet.

Perhaps it will show up on Saturday, after we all do our Friday night benders well past 11:20, perhaps as late as 11:45?

I will be interested to read if the drink-drive convictions shoot up this weekend, I bet there will be a few people who take advantage of the late drinking but don't consider if they are driving the next day!

I think I will drink no more or less on Friday night down the pub, however I won't feel any pressure to rush any pints. So I might even drink less, and just finish a bit later.

EDIT: just in case Eire hasn't yet introduced 24-hour drinking, can I copyright the pun "The last days of Sodom and Begorrah"?

 

[ohmygodwhathaveyoudone]

imagine going to the pub at 3 in the morning then popping into the tesco 24hr shop and coming back with all the crimmy pressies.depending on how much you drink this may not be a viable proposition.'hic' 'hic'

 

[AdamW]

I'm trying to find a list of all the pubs that will be opening later tomorrow, but can't find one. It'll feel like a lock-in, but it won't be a lock-in. I just want the novelty value! We already have some late opening pubs, but now there might be more. We'll see.

EDIT: Here's one

 

[notb665]

I'm interested to see if there will be, say 6 months of people going absolutely mad, then it all calming down to something more sedate. Or will it be like the Costa Del Sol every night in some places?

The Brits have a particularly bad reputation when we go abroad. Too many restrictions at home so we go mad when the leash is loose?

 

[AdamW]

We act very much like every other Germanic people when given large quantities of booze! I am reliably informed that in Sweden the binge-drinking problem has been going on for hundreds of years, spirits are the main culprit. I am told they too have drunken brawls (although only slightly less frequently than in the UK)

Notb, wouldn't it also be interesting to see if British behaviour abroad improves as the leash is removed at home? All night drinking might cease to be a novelty, people might start to get bored and just go home when they're getting tired instead of trolling on until kicking-out time?

I find it interesting seeing how people from other countries drink when they come here. I had a French colleague come over for a while, he was thrilled at our attitude of "quick, drink, drink some more!" as he had never felt comfortable trying that in France!

And the look on the American placement students at uni when they found out British student unions serve alcohol. I didn't ask but I suspect it must have felt like they've found the below-decks area of the Titanic with all the jolly dancing Irish people in it!

 

[notb665]

We act very much like every other Germanic people when given large quantities of booze! I am reliably informed that in Sweden the binge-drinking problem has been going on for hundreds of years, spirits are the main culprit. I am told they too have drunken brawls (although only slightly less frequently than in the UK)

Notb, wouldn't it also be interesting to see if British behaviour abroad improves as the leash is removed at home? All night drinking might cease to be a novelty, people might start to get bored and just go home when they're getting tired instead of trolling on until kicking-out time?

I find it interesting seeing how people from other countries drink when they come here. I had a French colleague come over for a while, he was thrilled at our attitude of "quick, drink, drink some more!" as he had never felt comfortable trying that in France!

And the look on the American placement students at uni when they found out British student unions serve alcohol. I didn't ask but I suspect it must have felt like they've found the below-decks area of the Titanic with all the jolly dancing Irish people in it!

Yeah, it would be interesting to see if our behaviour abroad improves.

As for Germanic people: the Vikings used to drink from horns didn't they? It means you couldn't put it down!!! Brilliant! A bit like when pubs take all the tables away and make you stand - it makes you drink quicker.

Me and the missus were in Amshterdam once, and walked past a fat balding Essex bloke with an England shirt on and a pint of lager in his hand. He was doing the usual monkey-boy dance (alternating arms up in the air) while chanting (to the tune of Guantanamero):

We've got our own fackin' manny
We've got our own fackin' manny
You can shav yer fackin' Euro up yer arse.

How proud we felt to be British.

 

[AdamW]

I didn't know that about the horns, but I think I might need to buy some now!

I'm sure the Dutch are thrilled that we send only the cream of British society to their capital city.

 

[WoodYouLike]

Oh, we're so thrilled (one of the reasons we came here )
Since 15 years there is an 'open'-closing time in the Dutch pubs and cafe's: meaning, the door closes at 2am, but anyone in can stay there until the landlord wants to go to sleep.
Before that, any problems (not as much as here it seems) started at 2am with all the pubs closing at the same time, now there are lesser problems because of this change.
I'm all for the new rule here (and indeed, we don't drink that fast, just longer )

 

[joe-90]

The Brit mentality is different from the rest of Europe. We are basically a race of thugs who will cause chaos at every possible opportunity.
Alcohol is a drug just like crack cocaine and ectstacy. It causes more death and misery than all the other drugs put together - but it's socially acceptable (for some unknown reason) - so we have to seperate it from the other harmful drugs and treat it as something wholesome. Then we have to pick up the pieces when lives are ruined.

joe

 

[empip]

Be interesting to see how many actually work for the dosh they spend ... Out all night, girls probably gone home, ummm? Yeah remember that sort of hum drum time at the old country pub 'lock ins' drinking for the sake of it, unless the tasty barmaids were on duty.
Glad that is over.

 

[kendor]

The Brit mentality is different from the rest of Europe. We are basically a race of thugs who will cause chaos at every possible opportunity.
Alcohol is a drug just like crack cocaine and ectstacy. It causes more death and misery than all the other drugs put together - but it's socially acceptable (for some unknown reason) - so we have to seperate it from the other harmful drugs and treat it as something wholesome. Then we have to pick up the pieces when lives are ruined.

joe

So a Race can be a countries multicultural population!? or a collection of those that resort to thuggery!? very interesting that comment joe makes those other posts of yours slightly redundant now doesn't it.

 

[joe-90]

Does it? You've lost me.


joe

 

[kendor]

Does it? You've lost me.


joe

doesn't take a lot !

 

[AdamW]

Thought I would report on my experience of the late pubs of Baldock in North Herts last night...

At the beginning of the evening I was surprised to see several police on the beat, as well as a couple of panda cars. This was in a relatively sleepy Hertfordshire town that I am yet to witness any trouble in. As the new drinking laws came into force in parallel with tougher measures on alcohol-related violence and stricter enforcement of opening hours this told us one thing: there were some late-opening pubs here!!!

About 10pm we headed over for our last pub, which one of the local landladies had told us had late opening. The barmaid said they were serving until 1, kicking out at 1:30 sharp.

By 12:30 there were very few people left in the pub. There was no throng at the bar pushing to get served before the bell went, people just drunk at their own pace.

At 1 the bell went just as I reached the bar to get the last round in. I was told I could only have it if I promised we would be out the door by 1:30 on the dot. At 1:20 they started asking people to finish up, at 1:21 we left.

Granted, this is what you would describe a "nice town", but if you think about it, late drinking has been legal for ages. The only thing that has changed is that you can now do it whilst talking instead of with thumping music.

It turned out that the only chav-stronghold in the town had been refused a late licence (in fact they used to have a music/late licence but had it revoked... not sure why though) something I found rather amusing

BTW if you are in Baldock, "The Engine" and "The White Hart" are the late pubs

 

[empip]

.......... people just drunk at their own pace. ...:

Did you mean '...people just drunk, at their own pace.'