United Kingdom

Good on you, UK people.

I do wish that people could take their health more seriously without being guilt tripped about struggling pubs.

It's too expensive to drink out now.

I'm a real ale drinker and moved from the Midlands to the south coast. I was paying £3.20 for a really good real ale before I moved. I was paying £4.60 for an ale after I moved. The last time I looked they went up to £4.90. I'm sure they're over a fiver now. For £7 you can get 4 x 500ml bottles from a supermarket for the same beer.

People moan about Spoons but their beers are usually less than £3. I've even seen one that was doing £1 for a pint. I used some 50p off tokens I had from CAMRA. Three pints for £1.50. Theres a reason their pubs are always busy.

I'm all for supporting pubs but they've priced me out.

I actually think the loss of pubs is a fucking travesty (pubs and working men's clubs). These places have always functioned as third places, places of community. I mean it's called a public house, it should be homely but for everyone.

Just go abroad and pubs fucking suck because they aren't pubs they are bars.

I just want to be able to walk in the front door, get a drink, strike up a convo with someone already there. Maybe play some darts or pool. Just chill out. Fuck I've been to the pub just to read a book before or watch TV. I would pay membership to be part of a club like that, but they simply don't exist anymore.

The real issue is house prices have eroded discretionary income, which is a whole other topic on it's own, work has gotten more so people have less time and are more tired, and it's just not legal in certain cases to have what once was.

I really think drinking in a pub is better than drinking at home and a way to fix this is to reduce taxes on pub alcohol so the price is comparable to a supermarket. When I was a teen/ student the aim of the game was to drink as much as humanly possible to not have to get an overpriced drink while out. That's not healthy. Much better to be out and pace yourself. Now I only really go out if I'm going to get drunk because its not worth it to go for a couple and go home.

Pubs need to be somewhere you want to go even if you're not getting sloshed.
With the exception of specialists/tap houses, people spending money on alcohol may not be the base income for pubs any more.

Maybe the money is in simple, reasonably priced food, and accommodation now.

I was talking to the landlord of my local on Saturday and he reckoned it had been the worst January he could remember.

I bloody love a good night out, but I am really not a fan of being rinsed. I know it's London prices and whatever, but the closest pub to me is £6.70 for a pint that isn't Carling, and something nuts like £8 for a double voddy. Couple that with a pack of cigs (£15) and maybe a cheeky little kebab at the end of the night (£10) and you're looking at an easy £75 - £100 for one fun night.

It's rough, because I really do love to socialise. Nowadays I don't drink or smoke for the first half of the year because they're too expensive as habits. If I want to go out in the evening to wind down after work and catch up with friends, I don't want to pay £20 to sit in the pub for an hour or two and then go home - but I can't reasonably afford to do much more than that -- so sod the whole thing.