An American living in the United Kingdom has sparked heated debate online after sharing her 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 has been documenting her experiences adapting to British life on her @reduredn account.
in a video Uploaded in March, which has since racked up 36,000 views, Red compared the UK’s drinking habits to the US, prompting a divided reaction in the comments.
Titled: “UK vs. US Drinking Culture.” Am I the only one who was surprised? I’m still going to have a drink though!’ Red’s observations have resonated with some viewers, while others disagree.
Reflecting on his arrival in the UK at age 18, Red noted 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, has shared her concerns about the “unhealthy” drinking culture in Britain.
Although he was given the opportunity to “have fun” and experiment with drinking during his teenage years, he quickly noticed a key difference: drinking seemed to be a “normal” part of daily life in the UK.
She explained: ‘From Monday to Sunday, these people drink. Part of it is fun: you go out with friends, have a beer, a wine. Just a different world.’
Red also noted how many pubs in the UK are “family friendly”, meaning it’s not unusual to “see kids in the bar”.
However, what Red found most surprising was the role alcohol played in the workplace.
Recounting his time in office jobs, he recalled a “drink cart” that ran on Thursdays at 4 p.m., and employees could choose their favorite drink.
He added: “The American business parties, the corporate parties, don’t have anything like what they have in the UK, because these people come in.”
Red revealed how disconcerting it was to see his boss and co-workers “wasted” and “hello on the floor” over the weekend and during the week, before everything returned to normal on a Monday morning.
The content creator admitted that while she understood that people “are just human,” she didn’t find those behaviors “healthy.”
The content creator shared her “biggest surprise” at Britain’s drinking culture: people drinking alcohol at work at 4 p.m.
His video generated hundreds of responses, with many viewers offering their own take on both the 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, 4pm is wine (or beer) time.’ After work, people headed to the nearest bar or pub.
Another said: “Not long ago they used to go at lunchtime and then return to the office,” while a third joked: “There was a pub opposite the office called The Boardroom.” We had many meetings in The Boardroom.’
Finally, one employee admitted: “I did my current job interview at the pub and he did it while we were drunk.”
However, many others responded, insisting that Red’s experience was not representative of British workplaces.
Red’s video generated hundreds of responses, with many viewers offering their own take on both the 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 happens, but not in most places.
A third added: ‘A drinks cart? I think your office has a problem to be honest (sic), I am almost 50 years old and I have never seen or heard of anything like this.
A fourth said: ‘This is not normal btw (sic). Okay, we Brits like to drink, but a stroller and strolling around the office on a normal Thursday afternoon isn’t common. That’s lootable.
Meanwhile, an American woman living in the UK has revealed the classic British sweets she can’t stand, much to the dismay of her online followers.
On TikTok, Lisa Dollan, who has amassed more than 1.2 million followers under her name Yorkshire Peach, shared common British confectionery products she didn’t like.