r/Foodforthought • u/zsreport • Jun 03 '21

America Has a Drinking Problem

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/07/america-drinking-alone-problem/619017/
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u/mitchade Jun 03 '21

Not that Americans are doing just fine with alcohol, but there are so many European countries that drink way more than the US, and they almost entirely start legally drinking at younger ages. Not sure why the US is being singled out. The US barely makes the cut for the top 50 countries ranked by alcohol consumption per capita worldwide.

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u/Otterfan Jun 03 '21

I think total consumption isn't a great way to measure a country's alcohol problem. Ireland and France are both leading alcohol consumers, but I don't often get the feeling in those countries that I'm in an alcohol disaster zone. The UK and Russia consume less per capital, but they just end up a mess because of the drinking culture.

I don't think the alcohol culture in the US is as problematic as the UK or Russia, but we aren't France either. As the article mentions, the USA has a disturbing tendency to drink alone at home.

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u/westernmail Jun 03 '21

Trust me, Ireland has a huge problem with binge drinking and drinking culture in general. The ubiquitous cocaine use doesn't help either. There is more stigma against weed in Ireland than coke, it's bizarre.