Yes! Today marks the end of our antiquated drinking laws. Despite the media overreaction (thank you Jeremy Vine..) we will finally get 'grown-up' drinking times.

Hopefully in a few years time, people will have become used to the new laws and binge drinking will be reduced so that people will also be more relaxed on the weekend. Which after all is what it's about...

According to my friend's sister who lives there, closing times were previously ridiculously early.

During World War I the goverment was becomming concerned that people were arriving drunk to work in factories making shells and other ammunition for the war effort. So much so that they created emergency laws to reduce both the percentage of alcohol in beer that was sold, and the times that drinks could be sold to.

This was 11pm (and 10:30pm on sunday). Curiously enough once the War ended the goverment didn't feel like repealing the laws and so they have lasted ever since. No doubt fuelling the ridiculous binge drinking and party atmosphere that many non-british people have commented on while here.

Now, the majority of pubs/bars will be open to at least 12pm, ranging to a minority of places that are open 24 hours..

James: I strongly disagree. Ireland, Scotland and most European countries have lesser problems than we do despite similar cultures (in Scotland and Ireland) and latter drinking times.

Maybe some of the problems here is a social thing, but that can be 'unlearned' in time! I do believe it has been created by the restrictive closing times here..

Binge drinking is not helped by having to drink in only 4 hours or less on a friday or saturday night!

Perhaps part of it is also climate related. The colder the weather the more people seem likely to drink to excess! I've read that nordic countries also have problems with this.

But Rich, I drink about 10 bottles between 7 and 11 (clubbing bores me now). If I drink until, say, 3am that means 20 bottles, which is really irresponsible of the government I think as I could become a binge drinker and a burdon on the A&E department

Neil.

You have faulty genes.

I just get an urge to stop drinking at a certain point.
I do know from my experiences that my rate of drinking slows down if we are going to a pub which is open till 12 or 1, instead of 11. And I find it more relaxing and fun too.

Also.. Drinking bottles? Newkie Ale?

Some of my friends like pub crawls too. But I can't be arsed now. I still like going to a few places, just not one every 15-20 mins.

I'm not an ale fan. I like some beers and some spirits though.

jhuuskon: Don't mix hyperactive-drinks with alcohol

You'll find it quite unpleasant when you're drunk and have heart palpitations/ racing pulse at the same time.

Seriously - what's the matter with people? It say clearly on the can (for example Red Bull, at least in Sweden) "DON'T MIX WITH ALCOHOL". Do you think they wrote it there because they Wanted to?

It's a [expletive] health-warning.

And still Red Bull with vodka is among the most popular drinks.

Don't know if it's darwined anyone yet, but I would hardly be surprised.
Or sympathetic.

Living in Paderborn, Germany, I have a somewhat unique perspective on the situation. We have a whole of load of British soldiers here (and their families, including kids). Pubs here in Germany do indeed close later, but that doesn't seem to make much difference to the way people drink. And when I say people, I mean Brits.. The amount of times I've driven through town on a Friday night and seen the ruckus going on, usually by Brits. I know they're Brits because they're usually being handcuffed and herded into a cop car by police (German cilivian or British military, take your pick) and shouting off abuse in English (the word "wanker" usually gets shouted out somewhere).

The difference in closing times doesn't make a blind bit of difference. It's a problem with the culture, not the regulation, where it seems to be "cool" to drink as much as possible in the time available. By extending opening hours you're just giving the excessive drinkers more scope and more time.

If I remember correctly, Sweden's government also has a rather strict anti-alcohol policy whereby they artifically heap taxes upon alcohol to put people off buying it, which doesn't appear to have done a great deal (getting drunk in McDonald's? Now that's new)

The only way around the problem is to make it illegal to be drunk in public, and not just by causing havoc.

I suddenly had this funny(and at the same time very sad) picture of thousands of Brits(and they all look like "Peter" the red head guy from my early english lessons back in school), swaying and singing through the streets at night, urinating against telephone boxes and lampposts, vomiting into every possible corner they can find.:-X

Indeed. We're part of the vodka belt (Sweden, Finland, the Baltic states, most of the former Soviet Union).

But there are few things worse than really drunken Brits. Drunken everything else I can tolerate (hey, I live in a student neighborhood - it's like living inside a giant international alcoholics' convention ), but Brits take disturbing the peace to a whole new level.