An American woman living in the UK has sparked a heated debate on social media after expressing concerns about what she described as an “unhealthy” drinking culture in Britain.
23-year-old Red on TikTok moved to London in 2019, and has shared her experience in adjusting to British life on her account, @reduredn.
In a video uploaded back in March, Red compared the UK’s drinking habits to those in the U.S., and her words have gone on to ignite a divided response in the comments section.
The video was captioned, “UK vs US drinking culture. Am I the only one that was shocked? I’m still [going to] have a drink though!”
@reduredn UK vs US drinking culture. Am i the only one that was shocked?? Imma still have a drink tho! #americanintheuk #expat #drinkingculture #fyp #CapCut ♬ original sound – Red
Her observations resonated with some viewers, while others strongly disagreed with her views on the matter.
Reflecting on her arrival in the UK at 18, Red revealed that she initially found excitement in the country’s lower drinking age compared to the U.S., where the legal age is 21.
However, she quickly noticed there as a cultural difference: drinking seemed to be a “normal” part of daily life in the UK. “Monday through 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,” she said.
The American woman living in the UK also stated that many pubs in the UK are “family-friendly,” making it common to “see kids in the bar.”
What surprised her most, nonetheless, was the role alcohol played in workplaces.
In recalling her time in office jobs, Red described a “drinking cart” being rolled around at 4 p.m. on Thursdays, with employees free to choose their preferred drink.
“The U.S. company parties, corporate parties, they don’t have anything on the way that they do in the UK—because these people go in,” she said.
Red recounted seeing her boss and co-workers “wasted” and “waved on the floor” during both weeknights and weekends, only to return to work as usual on Monday morning.
Although she acknowledged that “people are just human,” and are free to do as they please, she said she did not view these behaviors as “healthy.”
Red’s video sparked hundreds of responses, and many viewers shared their thoughts on British office and drinking culture, with some agreeing with her.
“Most offices I’ve worked at in the UK, 4 p.m. is wine o’clock (or beer). After work, folks headed to the nearest bar or pub”, one said. Another wrote,: “It wasn’t that long ago they used to be going at it at lunchtime, then back to the office,” while a third also joked, : “There was a pub across from the office called The Boardroom.
We had a lot of meetings in The Boardroom.” One person even admitted, “I did my current job interview in the pub. He did the interview while we were wasted.”
However, some commenters also pushed back, arguing that Red’s experience was not a full representation of all British workplaces.
“Really? Not all people drink that way,” one commenter wrote, while another added, “I wouldn’t say this is commonplace at all! It does happen, but not in most places.” A third then expressed skepticism on the matter: “A drinking cart? I think your office has a problem tbh [sic], I’m almost 50 and I’ve never seen or heard of such a thing.”
Another echoed that sentiment: “This is not normal, BTW [sic]. Agreed, us Brits are fond of drinking, but a cart and rolling around in the office on a normal Thursday afternoon is not common. That’s sackable.”
