Millions of people enjoy visiting pubs every week and the overwhelming majority don’t have an alcohol problem.
It’s an important venue for social connections at a time when there are less and less of those. They haven’t been replaced with other venues for many people, particularly the elderley who already struggle with social isolation.
They are also a big part of our culture and heritage at a time when that is also under threat from many angles.
The industry covers tens of thousands of jobs and captures boat loads of taxes both directly and indirectly.
And the annoying thing is that they are still viable small businesses, but the big pubcos and the taxes have squeezed the industry until it’s unviable to operate.
I’m not a big pub person, but I think it’s a shame to lose one of the few remaining pastimes which haven’t been replaced with an app.
If the primary purpose of a space is a singular activity that overwhelms discussion of other things, then it’s not a third space.
Sporting associations can be third spaces, but that isn’t the case if people take the sport seriously.
Nah we all have an alcohol problem. It’s still worth it though because a beer objectively tastes better when it’s drank away from home.
I was in a pub near St Pauls earlier today, one built by Christopher Wren with some friends I hadn't seen for a long time ahead of a mattine performance. The four of us sat round the fire, one had a pint of draft peer, another half a pint, another a mulled wine, and another a coffee. Certainly not expensive -- less than the cost of a coffee from starbucks, certainly not a pit of misery, and I didn't get the impression anyone near us was miserable.
Meanwhile just down the road are chain stores selling heavily processed junk food causing far more damage, but I'm sure you consider them healthier because of your puritanical beliefs.
Not a puritan. Just realistic. I don't care what you do. People care what they do and the end game is they started caring about themselves more.
They give the market what they want in terms of cheap food and beer, and some of the venues are beautiful.
Most of them are fairly civilised during the week as they revolve around food and there are families present.
The city centre ones do get a bit rowdy on Friday and Saturday nights though.
This is to say nothing of the violence and murdery shit that directly flows from alcohol consumption, statistically speaking
Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization Hardcover by Edward Slingerland
https://www.amazon.com/Drunk-Sipped-Danced-Stumbled-Civiliza...
Educating people is the only moral approach, but these days anyones opinion is as valid as expert knowledge so that is out the window.
I did share my personal take on what I want and don't want going forward beacause of where I was with it in my life and where I'm going now that I am not weighed down and mutated by it any further.
There's zero coercion. If people want to try to grt off, I would say talk to your dr and request nalfamene so you can still drink what you like but in a context that starts to remove the psychological and physical hooks it digs into anyone who loses the plot with it. If you need the anxiety help, request baclofen as an adjuvant and work your way down at whatever pace if at all that works for you
Nalfamene or naltrexone or whatever opidoid antagonists are available thru NHS is a successfull and affirming approach that makesit simple and likely to be successfull with attenuating issues with addiction and use of alcohol. I get I'm n=1 but what's the harm in exploring your options?
If I loved someone and I was invested/wanted them to heal and organically redefine their relationship with alc, I would help them with this even if I had to take them to the Dr myself to ensure they walked out with what they need and there was no ambiguity about how they are to honor the regiment that is available for their healing.
If I don't care for someone, I remain silent and return my efforts to address my own imperfections and pain so everyone is better of if I meet them or not
I personally believe that lack of physical activity actually plays a larger role in what drives the resulting health issues.
Source: https://liquiddeath.com/
Edi: okay, give me a few months' headstart, got some other nails to hit so I don't continue to step on them as I approach. They will have to come to me tho, I don't do international lawsuits lol. The quality or expense or dilligence of their anti-accountabillity hit squad are of zero consequence to me and they will come to know accountabillity finally.
The "good" implies that you might think these places deserve to go out of business because they are expensive. You can bet your ass that they're expensive because all of their costs have skyrocketted, not because they are profiteering.
For a lot of younger people, the alternative seems to be staying home and socializing less.
This feels like a leap.
Some people are indeed living better lives, freer of problems for not being around alcohol. Yes. But a lot of people are probably at home watching the tele instead, and many of them were fine &didn't have problems with alcohol in the old culture. And a good number of the people who would have had problems are pants drunk instead, and some who would have been fine happy people having a pub scene are probably doing much worse instead.
There's a difference between "I want to drink less" and "I can't afford to drink as much as I want"
Also a lot of people have complete alcoholics in their family and history and it's not seen as a socially acceptable thing and is tied to negative sentiment as well.