I’m an American living in the UK – this is what shocks me about the ‘drinking culture’ here

An American living in Britain has sparked a heated debate online after raising concerns about what she describes as an “unhealthy” drinking culture in Britain.

The 23-year-old, known only as Red on TikTok, moved to London in 2019 and documented her experiences adapting to British life on her account, @reduredn.

In one video Uploaded in March and viewed 36,000 times since, Red compared Britain’s drinking habits to those in the US, splitting the comments.

With the caption ‘British versus American drinking culture. Am I the only one who was shocked? I still am [going to] just drink something!’ Red’s observations have resonated with some viewers, while others strongly disagree.

Looking back on her arrival in Britain at the age of 18, Red noted her initial excitement about the lower drinking age in the country compared to the US, where the legal age is 21.

Despite having the opportunity to ‘have fun’ and experience alcohol during her late teens, she soon noticed a key difference: drinking seemed a ‘normal’ part of everyday life in Britain.

She explained: ‘Monday to Sunday these people are drinking. Some of it is fun: you’re out with friends, you grab a beer, a wine. Just a different world.’

Red also noted how many pubs in Britain are ‘family friendly’, meaning it is not uncommon to ‘see children in the bar’.

What Red found most surprising, however, was the role alcohol played in the workplace.

Looking back on her time in the office, she recalled that on Thursdays at 4pm there would be a ‘drink cart’ going around where employees could choose their drink of choice.

She added: ‘The American corporate parties, company parties, have nothing like the way they do in Britain – because these people go in.’

Red revealed how baffling it was to see her boss and colleagues ‘wasted’ and ‘flailing on the floor’ on weekends and weekday evenings, before everything returned to normal on Monday morning.

The content creator admitted that while she understood that people are “just being people,” she did not find such behavior “healthy.”

The content creator shared her ‘biggest shock’ about drinking culture in Britain: People consuming alcohol at work at 4pm

Her video attracted hundreds of comments, with many viewers sharing their own views on both British office and drinking culture.

Some commenters agreed with Red’s perspective, with one person writing: ‘In most offices I’ve worked in in the UK, it’s wine (or beer) at 4pm. After work people would go to the nearest bar or pub.’

Another said: ‘It wasn’t that long ago they would work there at lunchtime and then go back to the office,’ while a third joked: ‘It was a pub opposite the office called The Boardroom. We had a lot of meetings in The Boardroom.’

Finally, an employee admitted, “I did my current job interview in the pub, he did the interview while we were drunk.”

However, many others pushed back, insisting that Red’s experience was not representative of British workplaces.

Red’s video sparked hundreds of comments, with many viewers sharing their own views on both British office and drinking culture

One person wrote: ‘Really? Not all people drink that way’, while another said: ‘I wouldn’t say this is common at all! It does happen, but in most places it doesn’t.’

A third added: ‘A drinks cart? I think your office has a problem [sic]I’m almost fifty and I’ve never seen or heard anything like it before.’

A fourth said: ‘This is not normal by the way [sic]. Agreed, we Brits love to drink, but having a cart and rolling around the office on a normal Thursday afternoon is not common. That’s pocketable.’

Meanwhile, an American woman living in Britain has revealed the classic British sweets she can’t stomach – much to the dismay of her followers online.

Via TikTok, Lisa Dollan, who has amassed more than 1.2 million followers under her leadership Yorkshire Peach, shared common British confections that she didn’t like.