Binge-Drinking Culture

Northern Europeans has long had a penchant for binge-drinking.

Whereas Southern Europeans tend to be bought up to drink alcohol in moderation, North Europeans have long preferred to bloater themselves on pints of beer before stumbling home to await the next morning’s hangover.

To people of North European origin, food takes up valuable stomach space that could be productively filled with Guinness or Lager.

Scientific studies are now showing that Mediterranean people may well have genetic traits that make less prone to binge-drinking, since alcohol has been widely available in the region for thousands of years.

Since the late 18th century, North European countries have applied heavy taxes on alcohol to control drunkenness, which reached its most infamous excesses in England during the era of ultra-cheap gin, depicted in Hogarth paintings.

Subsequently, Anglo-Celtic colonies like New Zealand and Canada have long had strong temperance movements and strict government regulations on the use of alcohol.

In 1999 New Zealand’s socially liberal Labour Government decided to lower the drinking age to 18. However 7 years later it now seems that Parliament is set raise it back up to 20 again. According to Police and Hospitals, levels of anti-social behaviour, hospitalisations and attacks on police have increased significantly since the drinking age was lowered.

However, two other factors are also playing a part in drunkenness – credit and modern “ladette" culture. Until recently, few people under 21 had access to enough money to be able to go out and get drunk on a regular basis. Now thanks to credit cards and student loans the young party hard (as the young do) and pay later.

While it is common knowledge that women can’t alcohol as well as men, the media loves to project images of leather clad, high-kicking females that can do anything men can do. Meanwhile back in the real world, alcopop guzzling young women are more likely to be seen floundering in high heels, puking in gutters and being sized as prey items by rogue taxi-drivers (often with dubious immigration papers).

This trend is already starting to impact on long term health outcomes with an increasing number of women suffering from alcohol related medical problems (see here).

Although their may be a good case for raising the drinking age, it would be nice if the country could start discussing some of the deeper causes of excessive binge-drinking like genetics, feminism and easy-credit. However, at present all these topics are largely no-go areas for the liberal media and its neo-conservative puppet masters.