# International Perception: Are Americans lightweights (alcoholically)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 29, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251 "2010-03-29T20:52:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/21 "2010-03-30T01:37:16Z")
I didn’t vote, because it would be pure speculation, but a data point: I’m thoroughly American, and I once got into a serious drinking contest with a visiting Spanish guy who was staying with a friend of mine. He kept insisting that he could drink me under the table, because I was American, and he’d been “drinking wine at the dinner table since he was a little boy.” He kept insisting that, right up until he lost the ability to walk, and we had to carry him up the stairs and pour him onto my friend’s couch (where he promptly threw up all over himself.) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/22 "2010-03-30T02:19:03Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Really? I am by no means an expert, but I would have guessed the average Canadian man drinks far more beer than the average American man. > > Just a feeling, though. No real data or evidence. It’s a popular cultural meme, but not true. It’s also not true that Canadian beer is stronger. I’d never put my drinking skills up against an Irishman, I’ll tell you that. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/23 "2010-03-30T02:22:01Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Dude. You left out Australian. I would have put them in the running for Number One with Irish. I would also say that the Aussies have to be in the running for the title… ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/24 "2010-03-30T02:25:23Z")
There are different ways to drink a lot. In China, people tend to binge drink. It is not in any way unusual to see full-grown men being carried out of bars by their friends- even on weekdays. When people in China start drinking, they generally drink until someone is puking and passing out. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a Chinese bar toilet that was not covered in puke. Chinese drinking culture, which encourages taking shots, means you end up consuming large amounts very quickly. It’s normal and even expected to drink yourself stupid on occasion. In Cameroon, people rarely got roaring drunk, but people drank steadily. It’d be completely normal to have a couple beers with lunch, or to start a meeting by drinking beer. In the countryside, millet beer was pretty much an essential part of the diet. But you would rarely ever see anyone actually drunk, and getting drunk would reflect poorly on you. > [@Mahaloth](#): > > I wonder what the levels are like in the modern area of China, where like you said, some of the men there could put back a 750 ml bottle of the strong rice wine(well over 60% alcohol). I think the statistics are probably strongly affected by the fact that most women (half the population) rarely drink, and in my experience teenagers and even college students do not tend to drink much. So you have a subset of working men who drink A LOT, and then a whole lot of other people who basically don’t touch the stuff. America’s statistics probably seem high because it’s one of the few places where it’s socially acceptable for women to drink and even binge drink. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/25 "2010-03-30T02:37:07Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > That list is somewhat surprising. According to that, US drinks more per capita than Bulgaria, by a decent amount (8.6L to 5.9L). More than Poland, too (at 8.1). And Ukraine (6.1). Really? I would never have guessed that. I’m also surprised that Luxembourg (15.6), Ireland (13.7), and Hungary (13.6) all are harder drinkers than the Russians (10.3). Hm. That doesn’t mesh with my experience at all, to the extent that I would question the validity of the poll. Bulgarians not only drink more than Americans, AFAICT, they drink stronger drinks, and they drink at crazy times. My colleagues regularly drank rakia in the teachers’ lounge during our long break - at 9:30 am. (Which is way, way, WAY too early for me, and I got teased a lot about not partaking. And people, we were _elementary school teachers_.) People drink from earlier ages and it’s not at all uncommon to smell alcohol on people’s breath at times of the day that would be unusual in the US. (Like, noon.) I think **even sven** may have hit the nail on the head with the fact that it’s socially acceptable for American women to drink. Now, Bulgarian women will happily drink rakia and beer, but most of the excessive drinking I saw was done by men. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/26 "2010-03-30T02:39:16Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It’s a popular cultural meme, but not true. It’s also not true that Canadian beer is stronger. Here comes the anecdote! I would not suggest it is indicative of the whole. When I lived in China, I lived with quite a few Canadians. They really did drink, across the board, far more than the Americans there. It was impressive. I guess that is where I get the idea. Did someone say Canadian beer is stronger? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/27 "2010-03-30T03:18:07Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Wow - look at those Luxembourg bastards go! They’re hardcore drinkers…all six of them. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SomeBodyUK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@SomeBodyUK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SomeBodyUK)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/28 "2010-03-30T07:04:19Z")
British people drink really a lot, and so do some Indians… British Indians are just as bad… [http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/lifestyle/boozy-punjabi-weddings-are-now-a-british-problem\_100287684.html](http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/lifestyle/boozy-punjabi-weddings-are-now-a-british-problem_100287684.html) > [@](#): > > According to an editorial published in the prestigious British Medical Journal in October, alcohol-use among South Asians in Britain is “under-recognised, and alcohol related harm is disproportionately high.” > > It said alcohol-related deaths are particularly high among Irish and Scottish people, as well as Indian men. Meanwhile back in India… [Kerala’s love affair with alcohol](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8557215.stm) > [@](#): > > Jacob Varghese says he began drinking when he was nine years old, sipping on his father’s unfinished whisky and brandy in glass tumblers. > > It’s a terrifying story of a descent into alcoholism for this 40-year-old health inspector. > > At school, he consumed cheap local liquor. He lived in a haze of alcohol through his teens and dropped out of college. > > He lost a job, cut his wrists twice trying to end his life, landed up in rehabilitation centres and at the age of 32, was reduced to begging on the streets to fund his alcohol habit. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/29 "2010-03-30T08:26:27Z")
Where’s Greece? I was in Crete for a week and from what I could tell, those people are constantly drinking. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/30 "2010-03-30T11:31:25Z")
I voted “other European” - ask anyone who has been to Pennsic, no one drinks like the Swedes. Unless it’s the Finns. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/31 "2010-03-30T11:42:54Z")
Other for me is the Australians. Really, should be able to list 10 to get the Scandinavians and Irish onto my list. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/32 "2010-03-30T13:06:37Z")
Average alcohol consuption isn’t the same as the prevelence of heavy drinking, although obviously there is some correlation. This [graph](http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/mor_alc_liv_dis_percap-alcoholic-liver-disease-per-capita) might better reflect the countries with the largest numbers of heavy drinkers. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/33 "2010-03-30T13:59:40Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > Where’s Greece? I was in Crete for a week and from what I could tell, those people are constantly drinking. I second this. I spend a good deal of time in Crete (I go almost every year) - the raki is deadly and constantly consumed. I spend most of my time in the little (non-tourist) villages on the north side, where every shopkeeper seems to brew their own. Buying a bar of soap? Have a raki with your change. And its rude to refuse. That being said, while I see them constantly drinking, I have almost never seen them drunk. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/34 "2010-03-30T16:43:14Z")
My other: Australians. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/35 "2010-03-30T16:55:52Z")
I can only speak for myself. I’m American and I knock out at least a 6-pack daily. Assuming 5% alcohol content, that’s 38.85L/yr. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/36 "2010-03-30T17:18:22Z")
Also speaking only for myself, I have out drank South Koreans, Japanese, Germans and 3 Russians in the US, the others in their own countries. But to be fair the Average American probably couldn’t. You have to Practice! ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/37 "2010-03-30T17:25:27Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > …to be fair the Average American probably couldn’t. You have to Practice! True, very true. Perhaps you and me could put together a good _[Beer League](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtPPLXujvzk)_ team. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/38 "2010-03-30T19:30:18Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > That’s not true Coors light is over 4%, except for 3.2 versions made for blue laws. Ah, she lied to me then. She also didn’t meet me later that night 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/39 "2010-03-31T06:06:10Z")
Ditto on Australian. I’ve met plenty in my travels and, man, those cats know how to party. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251/40 "2010-03-31T09:23:40Z")
In my experience, a lot of western Europeans drink a lot over a long period of time instead of binge drinking quickly. I’ve known some Irish lads who put down a lot over the course of the entire night, but each pint is sipped at a pace slower than your typical American pub crawler. Exceptions, exceptions, anecdotal… yes. Anyhow, I’ve always tried to pattern my crazy nights on what I perceive to be the western European approach: drink often, start early, and pace yourself to “waltz” out at last call – not stagger out at 10:30. One of those lads used to say, “yeah, while you Americans are drinking faster than me and getting loud and stupid, I’m staying paced enough to pick up your girlfriend.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-perception-are-americans-lightweights-alcoholically/534251.md?page=3)