One thing Germany does differently is that teenagers can drink wine and beer from the age of 16. This potentially means there is less defiance around alcohol; it is part of life. I went to a huge concert here in the Burg last year, where beer was served in one litre plastic glasses. People got very drunk and had a fabulous time. Afterwards, they quietly got in their buses and on the train and went home. No violence, no fights, no aggression, none of that scary weird atmosphere you get in the UK.

Perhaps it’s because public drinking is acceptable here, everybody does it, including older people, that no-one can get their thrills from being in-your-face and wrecked. I still haven’t worked it out.

i used to think it was great that the brits were more relaxed about drinking, thinking surely it must result in more responsible and mature drinking habits than those in the puritanical and rule-loving US. man, was i wrong! when the rose-colored glasses came off i saw just how pervasive and destructive the constant drinking can be on the people, the nation, the entire way of life here. i find it quite sad when grown adults with otherwise respectable lives brag about how trashed they get on a regular basis, as if the only thing that makes them interesting is how many pints they can down. it truly is pitiable.

and, like you, i used to put back the booze like it was nobody’s business so i know that of which i speak.