Coming to this thread late, so apologies if I´m repeating stuff, but.....
The British (maybe British/Irish?) attitude to alcohol is not shared in other countries. In other countries, people may well get drunk, but in the UK they go out with the deliberate intention of getting drunk. I remember when I first saw "Friends" I thought it was unrealistic, because nobody would sit for hours just drinking coffee; what´s the point?
However, now I live in Spain, and things are much different. Drinking of alcohol is normal and widespread, but "getting off your tits", "having a massive sesh" is not. People will have one "tercio" (between a half and a pint) with their lunch, and go back to work afterwards. Only a Brit would see someone drinking a beer at, say, 11a.m. (which is a meal-time in Spain: almuerzo) and say, "That´s a bit early in the day for me" because only a Brit would think, "Once you start you can´t stop until you´re face down in your own vomit!" Also, in Spain it´s very unusual to drink alcohol without eating at the same time, which also reduces the amount people will get drunk. When I first lived here, it amused me when I ordered a beer, and, asked if I wanted anything else (i.e. food), I said no. The beer would always be served with free "frutos secos" (nuts) and sometimes even olives.
I realise my attitudes expressed here may be becoming archaic, and younger British people are turning away from booze in a big way (the lightweights!) Also, the sesh culture is suffering a battering due to the prohibitive expense of buying a round in that endangered establishment, the pub.
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