An American living in the UK has sparked a heated debate online after sharing his concerns about what he describes as an ‘unhealthy’ drinking culture in the UK.
The 23-year-old, known only as Red on TikTok, moved to London in 2019 and has documented her experience adapting to British life on her account, @reduredn.
In a video uploaded in March, which has since amassed 36,000 views, Red compared British drinking habits to the US, prompting a divided reaction in the comments.
With the caption, ‘UK vs US drinking culture. Am I the only one surprised? I’m still (going to) drink!’ Red’s observations have resonated with some viewers, while others strongly disagree.
Describing his arrival in the UK at the age of 18, Red notes his initial excitement about the country’s lower drinking age compared to the US, where the legal age is 21.
Red, an American who moved to London in 2019, expressed concern about the ‘unhealthy’ drinking culture in England.
Despite being given the opportunity to ‘have fun’ and experience drinking when he was young, he quickly recognized a key difference: drinking was seen as a ‘normal’ part of everyday life in England.
He explained: ‘Monday to Sunday, these people drink. Some things are fun: you’re out with friends, you’re getting beer, wine. It’s just a different world.’
Red also observed how many pubs in the UK are ‘family-friendly,’ meaning it’s not unusual to ‘see children in the bar.’
What surprised Red the most, was the role of alcohol in the workplace.
Recounting his time at the office, he remembers the ‘drinking cart’ that went round at 4pm on Thursdays, with employees able to choose their drink of choice.
He added: ‘US corporate parties, corporate parties, they have nothing in the way they do in the UK – because these people come in.’
Red told how confusing it was to see his boss and co-workers ‘wasted’ and ‘wave on the floor’ at weekends and weekdays, before everything was back to normal on Monday morning.
The content creator admits that while he knows people are ‘just human,’ he doesn’t find the behavior ‘healthy.’
Content creators share ‘biggest shock’ about UK drinking culture: people drinking alcohol at work at 4pm
Her video sparked hundreds of responses, with many viewers offering their own responses to the British office and drinking culture.
Several commenters agreed with Red’s perspective, with one person writing: ‘Most of the offices I work in in the UK, 4pm is wine (or beer) hour. After work, people go to the nearest bar or pub.’
Another said: “It wasn’t long before he was having lunch and then he went back to the office,” while a third joked, “There’s a pub across the street from the office called The Boardroom. We’ve had a lot of meetings at The Boardroom.’
Finally, one employee admitted: ‘I’m doing a job interview now in a pub they’re doing an interview while we’re wasted.’
However, many others pushed back, insisting that Red’s experience was not representative of the British workplace.
Red’s video sparked hundreds of responses, with many viewers offering their own responses to the British office and drinking culture.
One person wrote, ‘Really? Not everyone drinks like that,’ while another said, ‘I wouldn’t say it’s common! This is happening but not in many places.’
The third added: ‘Drinking train? I think your office has a problem tbh (sic), I’m almost 50 and I’ve never seen or heard of such a thing.’
A fourth said: ‘This is not normal BTW (sic). Agree, we Brits like to drink, but cart and rolling around in the office on a normal Saturday afternoon is not common. It’s sackable.’
Meanwhile, an American woman living in the UK has revealed a classic British candy she can’t make – much to the confusion of her followers online.
On TikTok, Lisa Dollan, who has gathered more than 1.2 million followers under the handle Yorkshire Peach, shows common British confections that she doesn’t like.
