Had a BBQ last night & all our family came round to celebrate my daughters birthday. I had 3 drinks...that's a big year for me! Not a drinker you see.
We have similar problems in Oz with binge drinking, but I tend to avoid people like that. Don't get me wrong, I'm not preaching here, but it's just a personal choice. I would be mortified if my kids saw me drunk and I don't want to expose them to that culture at their age. (It's a moot point anyway as I don't drink...)
Last time I was in Blighty, Liverpool specifically, was 10 years ago for my Grandma's funeral. At the wake, I was staggered by the alcohol consumption of my Cousins & their kids! As an Aussie, it was expected that I was going to drink them under the table but that's not me. I managed to hold onto the drinks I was generously given for a loooong time. As the night wore on and the condition of my family members deteriorated, I was being complimented on how well I was able to 'hold my drink'. They were getting trays of Sambucca shots & were getting free ones because they were buying so much. This made them happy & they thought I should get the extra ones because I'd travelled so far... In hindsight, perpetuating that myth was wrong of me. I could have easily said that I don't drink, and not everyone in Oz does...but I didn't.
Slowly, they all faded & drifted off to God knows where. In the end, it was just me, my Cousins husband, and his son. We rolled my Cousins husband into a Cab & went looking for Chinese at 3am. He was as lucid as I was but he had kept up with everyone else. I knew he drank a lot & I specifically watched him as I was staying with him, but it was my turn to be staggered at his condition.
I honestly don't know what my point is here. Your posts made me think of that time L4 & what an eye opener it was for me. Again, I'm not preaching as I do enjoy a bevvie or two, but I just don't know or understand that tipping point where one goes from having a few to having too many.