Expats and Alcohol

[Denver]

Is price really the determining factor in people's consumption or do you consume more because you maintain a different lifestyle while here?

-Drugs are expensive in the US, and yet people consume no less because of it.
-A pack of cigarettes in Norway costs US $13 and everyone still smokes.
-House prices shot up worldwide over the last decade, yet people continued to buy as long as mortgages were available.

I think consumption is tied more strongly to lifestyle than what is initially apparent.

Neil

 

[steveinbsas]

When I moved here (and wasn't working), I drank a lot more than I did in NY. Now that I work, I rarely have the desire/time to go out and have more than one drink. I'm also not in my 20s anymore - the hangovers just kill me so it's not worth it.

Of course if you wake up with a hangover and your aren't working, the answer is obvious.

And then the answer to the OP's question (Do you find yourself drinking more here than you did back home?) will be a resounding YES!

Unless you moved here form another alcoholic expat destination, as I did (Sayulita, Mexico).

And even the best beer and wines are much cheaper in Argentina than Mexico...

Bottoms up!

 

[Ries]

I think part of it is definitely price- there have been studies done all over the world that prove that people drink, and smoke, less, when prices go up.

But part of it is cultural, as well. Aside from the Russians, nobody seems to drink as much as the people from the UK. And they always have. Read colonial novels, doesnt matter if you are talking Kenya, Sri Lanka, India, or Hong Kong- the british colonials would drink bottles and bottles apiece, a night, in the good old days.
And they still seem to, to my eyes.
The current trend of "Ladettes" in GB amaze me- 20 something women who drink til they puke, most nights.
This series of photos, of Cardiff, is a scene I cannot imagine in Argentina.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-documents-years-drunken-revelry-Cardiff.html

In general, I think Argentines are quite moderate in their drinking. I seldom see drunks in public.
You cannot take public transportation in any city in the USA without seeing people so drunk they piss themselves, swear loudly, and carry on conversations with imaginary partners- and thats during the day.
At night, its worse.

I never see this in Buenos Aires.

The english, in BsAs, on the other hand, are another story- and the reason I tend to stay away from trendy bars in Palermo...

 

[Denver]

-What beautiful ladies they have over there.

Neil

 

[objectiveous]

Is price really the determining factor in people's consumption or do you consume more because you maintain a different lifestyle while here?

-Drugs are expensive in the US, and yet people consume no less because of it.
-A pack of cigarettes in Norway costs US $13 and everyone still smokes.
-House prices shot up worldwide over the last decade, yet people continued to buy as long as mortgages were available.

I think consumption is tied more strongly to lifestyle than what is initially apparent.

Neil

I think this is called price elasticity of demand [1] and I believe alcohol and other drugs are actually pretty elastic amongst the general population but I can't put my finger on the paper I read on this.

I once thought that drugs would be inelastic and that governments, knowing this, were simply taking advantage of drug users when they heavily tax them, but then I met this policy guy from DC who said I had it all wrong. I went home a did some research and learned it was a little more complicated . Good times. ;-)

It stands to reason that consuption goes up as prices fall too. I mean, after all, how many BMWs would you buy if they cost a U$D 100 . ;-)

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_elasticity_of_demand

 

[steveinbsas]

You cannot take public transportation in any city in the USA without seeing people so drunk they piss themselves, swear loudly, and carry on conversations with imaginary partners- and thats during the day.
At night, its worse.

I spent several months in San Francisco in the past two years years and used public transportation everyday, often more than ten times a day (including bus lines through the Mission District).

If what you describe was going to happen anywhere in the USA it would happen in San Francisco.

The best show I got was a tagger with a magic marker and a Black woman arguing with an Asian woman (and I don't think I imagined it).

I also lived in Chicago prior to moving SOTB in 2000, used the CTA frequently and never saw any of what Reis describes happen, not even once.

 

[arty]

In general, I think Argentines are quite moderate in their drinking. I seldom see drunks in public.
You cannot take public transportation in any city in the USA without seeing people so drunk they piss themselves, swear loudly, and carry on conversations with imaginary partners- and thats during the day.
At night, its worse.

I never see this in Buenos Aires.

I call bullshit. I hardly ever see people on public transit in NYC so drunk they piss themselves. In L.A. never.... Can you please tell use which cities you had these wonderful encounters? For sure I have seen this in europe, but there they don't lock you up for being drunk in public like the USA likes to do.

 

[keech]

OK,
My two cents,
Yes You will drink more here because of several factors,
1 Its cheap
2 You are not working
3 You are bored
4 Slight rebellion issue
5 Need for attention
6 Need for new friends
7 Cannot adapt to a food culture
and many many more..........

 

[keech]

Objectiveous,
While your points are valid,can you really apply western theory to Latin American Life?.Personally I think not,

Prices are dictated here not by drug induced idiots more so exaggerated addicts with an affluence towards pushing the boundary's of the common thought of happiness....example> my ideal life is sitting on the beach with a cocktail looking at the best life has to offer....Reality....I have cheap accomadation,I dont need to work right now and as a release I will have a beer... or ten...in the sun.

Its been a while but last time I checked,purchase price of Alcohol as against sale is about 350 per cent in bars....We all know we can go to a supermercado to buy a cheap litro but we don't,We are all exaggerated addicts,myself included with a need for social interraction.

While elasticity /inelasticity exists in many countrys I beg to differ on the argentine front.The mentality here is chance.Try it for a week and if it works or not change it,,

Later R

K