Alcoholism is a prevalent condition in the United Kingdom. UK citizens and residents have embraced a culture of alcohol consumption unlike most of the world has ever known. In the United Kingdom, alcohol consumption is far more socially acceptable than in the rest of the western world. It dates back many centuries to when Anglo Saxon ethnicity was just beginning to rise in power and enormous revelries made of food and alcohol and debauchery were customary in celebrating victories and special occasions, as well as in preparing for conflict. In modern times, however, what was a more noble convention has evolved into complete recklessness, with alcoholism at an all time high.

The cases of alcoholism within the United Kingdom in recent years have sky-rocketed within recent generations. Cases of alcoholism used to be more selective, but the latest harmful alcohol trend to come out of the UK is that of young alcoholics. The party mentality is so prevalent in the UK that younger and younger people are being diagnosed with alcoholism and liver problems. Deaths due to alcohol poisoning are among the highest in the world in the UK. Rehabilitation centers and addiction treatment facilities are overflowing with clients. Clearly, the cultural trend of drinking has taken a turn for the worse in the UK and needs to be brought under control.

There is a great deal of attention being placed on the UK’s drinking problems in the media in recent times. There has been a call to action for people within the UK and outside of it for change. Many cultural problems are resulting from the immersion in alcohol consumption that the UK is in, such as a strain on police and emergency resources who respond to incidents of intoxication and alcohol poisoning, unsafe roads due to drunk driving problems, and in general, a less functional society that is not as productive and healthy as it should be in a number of ways. A major cultural shift is needed in order to get the United Kingdom sober, healthy and functional once again.

Alcohol is its own culture and way of life in the United Kingdom, so much so that other cultures, even ones that do not have that much exposure to the outside world, know of the United Kingdom’s reputation for alcohol consumption. Alcohol is a deeply ingrained tradition in the United Kingdom’s history and overtime it translated into the modern day phenomenon that it is now. For the average resident of the United Kingdom, alcohol consumption is simply a way of life, and few of them question it.

People in the United Kingdom learn early in life that pubs are a happening scene. Pubs are by far the most social venues in the United Kingdom. They are in many other countries and regions as well, but the people of the United Kingdom take it to a whole new level. Far more events are held in pubs drinking, or held at venues that serve alcohol, than in other countries or regions. People join in on the culture of drinking in the United Kingdom in order to be social. People naturally gravitate toward the most lively haunts, and in the case of the United Kingdom, this is overwhelmingly in pubs, drinking socially.

In the United Kingdom, alcohol is the primary expression of celebration and joy. It is a cultural instinct for people from the United Kingdom to include alcohol in all revelries, such as parties, graduations, sporting events, major milestones and many other special occasions. Alcohol is also frequently consumed by residents of the United Kingdom simply as a pass time and a means of being social. Alcohol consumption is more socially acceptable in the United Kingdom than in other places. This, in itself, is not problematic. How much alcohol people consume in a certain region is determined by their cultural practices. However, more cases of alcoholism, health problems and liver failure have also been observed within the United Kingdom than in most other countries, which would indicate that the United Kingdom’s cultural embrace of alcohol may be unhealthy on a large scale.