smokepub

EDITORIALPubPhilosophyD.
ShawPublishedonline:24January2019#JournalofBioethicalInquiryPtyLtd.
2019KeywordsPubs.
Philosophy.
Ethics.
Publichealth.
Risk.
AlcoholIntroductionLastnightIhadplannedtogointotownwithmyfriendsforadrink.
Yesterdaymorningoneofthemwarnedthathehadacoldsomightnotmakeit;IrepliedthatIhadacoldandhadbeenuphalfthenightwithmysonbutIwasstillgoing.
Laterthatafternoonanotherfriendapologized,say-inghehadtoworklate,whilealsohelpfullysharingalinktoanarticleabouthowtoavoidbeingtheannoyingoneinaconversation.
SomyremainingfriendandIdecidednottogointotownafterallandwenttothelocalpub.
ThismeantitwasahealthiereveningbecauseIhadtowalkthreemilestotalthereandbackinsteadofjustamilegoingtoandfromthetrainstationandalsobecauseweboughtoneroundeachfortwopeopleinsteadoffour,meaningthatwehadtwodrinkseachinsteadoffour.
Wehadagoodchatandevendiscussedsomephilosophybeforeheadinghome.
TodayatworkIdon'tevenhaveahangover.
Themoralofthisstoryisthatgoingtothepubraisesmanyinterestingphilosophicalissues,someofwhichposeethicaldilemmas;inthisparticularanecdote,wehavethedelicateetiquetteofwithdrawingfromanar-rangement,thehealthissuesconcerningalcoholcon-sumptionandexercise,thejusticeissuesraisedbytakingturnstobuydrinks,andappropriateconversationaltopics.
Thispaperexplainsandexploresalltheseissuesandmore,coveringaspectsofsocialphilosophy,medicalethics,distributivejustice,risk,anddecisiontheory.
PlanningthePint:ThePre-PubConversationOnedoesnotsimplywalkintoapubwithone'sfriends:planningisrequired.
Agreeingonadate,choosingavenue,andchoosingatimemightseemlikesimpleen-deavours,butcanconstituteanethicalminefield.
First,ithastobedecidedwhoistobeinvited.
Inasmallcircleoffriendsthisiseasyenough,butinalargergroupitcanbecomeawkward.
Oftenonepersonhastwogroupsoffriendsandwantstoinvitethemalltothepub,exceptthatmembersofonegroupdon'treallygetonwithmembersoftheother(hence,partially,theirclassificationintogroups).
Moresubtly,inmanycasessomefriendsarejustcloserthanothers,andthoughthereisnowishtoexcludeanyparticularfriend,itistacitlyunderstoodthatifthatpersonisinvitedtheopportunityforforthrightdiscussiononparticulartopicswillbecurtailed—orsimplythatthatpersonwilldominatetheconversationwithmonologueswhentheintentionistoatleastattemptsomeBioethicalInquiry(2019)16:7–12https://doi.
org/10.
1007/s11673-019-09896-3D.
ShawInstituteforBiomedicalEthics,UniversityofBasel,Bernoulistrassse28,4056Basel,SwitzerlandD.
Shaw(*)DepartmentofHealth,EthicsandSociety,CareandPublicHealthResearchInstitute,MaastrichtUniversity,Maastricht,theNetherlandse-mail:David.
shaw@unibas.
chapproximationofadialogue.
Theseconcernscanleadtostepwiseplanning,whereasmallnumberoffriendssettleonadate,andthenoneofthemtimidlyaskswhetherXshouldbeinvitedalongaswell.
Eveniftheotherssub-scribetothedescriptionofXasamonologuingsociopath,therewill(atleastinBritain)besomereluctancetoactuallysayso,andsoXmightendupbeinginvited,despitethehiddenhopethatXwon'tbeabletocomeonthatdateanyway.
If/whenXisfinallyinvited,thereisalsoarisk/hopethatheorshewillsaynobecauseheorshewasnotinvolvedinplanningthedate.
(Itshouldalsobenotedthatmanypeoplewouldneveradmitthatanythingdescribedinthisparagraphactuallyoccurs,asit'sallabitawkward.
ItshouldalsobenotedthatmywifeJustineinsiststhatwomendon'tgethunguponallthisnonsense.
)Aswellasaffectingthenumberofdrinksconsumedinanevening(seelaterinpaper),thequalityofconver-sationandhenceoftheeveningitselfcanalsobeaffect-edbythenumberofpeoplepresent.
Iftherearethreeorfourorfiveorevensixfriends,allcaneasilytalktoeachotheratonetable,butiftherearesevenormorethensub-conversationswillstartandmini-resentmentscandevelopatnotbeingabletotalktowhoyouactuallywanttotalkto—particularlyifpeoplefromtwogroups(asdescribedabove)areattending.
Whilemostfriendswillwanttobeinclusive,thefactthatsmallergroupsoftenleadtobetterevenings(andsmallerhangovers)generatesaconflictofinterestthatmaycausebiasagainstexpandingthecircleofthoseinvited.
Onceithasbeendecidedwhoiscoming,thevenuemustbesettledupon.
(Ofcourse,sometimessomeonemightbeexcludedbecauseeveryoneelselikesaparticularvenuebutonepersondoesn't.
)Thiscanbechallengingduetopreferencesregardingbeer,music,relativedis-tance,andevendecor.
Differentfriendsmightevenhavedifferentdefinitionsofapubordisagreeonwhatmakesaperfectpub.
WhatisapubanywayThewordisanabbreviatedformofBpublichouse^butthatisnotaveryinformativetermforanyoneunfamiliarwithsuchestab-lishments.
Essentiallyapubisaplacethatservesalcoholicdrinksandhasaplacetosit,butthatratherspartandefinitioncoversavastvarietyofpubs.
Myownprefer-enceisforpubswithmusic,noscreens,andawidechoiceofbeers.
MyfriendGordondoesn'tmindmusic,likesscreensincasethefootballison,andpositivelydislikesawidechoiceofbeersbecausethatoftenmeanshehastohunthardforastandardlager,whichishisstandarddrink.
Totakeanotherexample,somepeopledon'tregardgastropubsaspubsbecausethey'remorelikehipsterrestaurantsandcostafortune.
Thechoiceofvenuemightalsobeaffectedbythechosendateanditsrelationtoanyentertainmenttakingplaceinthepubandviceversa.
Forexample,althoughitisfairlybasicintermsofbeersIdon'tmindhavingtheoddpintatmyBlocal^asit'sthenearestpubtomyhouse(bydefinition).
However,Idon'tlikeitonquiznights,becauseit'simpossibletotalktomyfriendsbecauseoftheirinsistenceonlisteningcloselytoallthequizquestions.
Conversely,theyalllikequiznightsbecauseonthoseoccasionstheydon'thavetolistentomebangingonaboutphilosophy.
MyfriendsPaulandDavidprefercity-centrepubsbecausetheformerlivesinthecitycentreandthelatterlivesinthecountrysideandgettingtotowniseasierthancomingouttothesuburbwherebothGordonandIlive.
ThismeansthatGordonandIendupgoingintotownrathermoreoftenthanwewouldchoose,butwecanhardlyinsistthatourfriendscometouswhenthechoiceofpubsandpotentialforagreeabledisagreementaboutwhichonetogotoissomuchgreaterintown.
Assumingthatweagreeonthepub,onefinalissuethathastobesettledinfineweatheriswhethertositinsideoroutside.
Generally,twentyyearsagowewouldalwayshavesatoutside,butoutdoorssittingareasarenowfullofresentfulsmokerswhocannolongergivethemselveslungcancerinsidethepub.
That'sgoodwhentheweatherisbadbutnotverypleasantwhentheweatherispleasant,particu-larlyforfamilieswhowanttositoutside.
Ofcourse,therewilloftenbesomeone(oftenGordon)whosaysit'stoocoldtositoutsideevenifit'stwentydegreesandsunny.
(Inthewinter,itseemslikelythatsmokers'healthmustsufferastheyareforcedtosmokeoutsideinsub-zerotemperatures.
Insomegroupsoffriends,non-smokerscanalsobefoundoutsidebecausethelocusofconversa-tionfollowsthesmokers.
)Despitetheseaforementionedcomplications,orga-nizingnightsoutwithfriendshasbeenmademucheasierwithsocialmediaandgroupmessaging,enablingthenighttobeplannedwithoutactuallytalkingtoany-one.
However,thismethodofcommunicationhasthedrawbackthatitrequirespeopletoactuallyrespond.
Oftenoneormorepeopleinsuchaconversationwillfailtodoso,lettingtheotherssettleonadatethatthenturnsoutnottosuitthesilentpartner.
Thatpersonthenbelatedlysaysthatthatdatedoesn'tsuit,causing(hope-fullytransient)resentment.
Similarly,sometimesaven-ueisagreedupon,butonthedayofthedrinksonefriend(probablythesameone)asksBwherearewegoingtonightthen^onlytobetoldtoscrollbackupforthe8BioethicalInquiry(2019)16:7–12answer.
Ontheotherhand,sometimestheconversationinvolvedinplanningthenightoutisactuallymoreamusingthanthenightoutitself.
Thelastpartofthepre-pubconversationconcernswhentomeetandwhethertomeetatsometransitpointpriortothepub.
Normallyitwouldmakesensejusttowaituntilwe'reatthepub,butsomepeopledon'tlikesittingbythemselveswaitinginawarmpubandwouldratherstandinthecoldoutsideastation.
Onceyou'reallactuallyatthepub,conversationscanobviouslycoveravastarrayoftopics,andprovidingaphilosophicalanalysisofallofthemisunfortunatelyout-withthescopeofthisarticle.
Aswellasthemainstaysofwork,family,sport,TV,movies,andpartners,therearesomesubjectsthatactuallyoughttobediscussedwhenfriendsaretogether.
Chiefamongtheseisorgandonation.
Whileitmightseeminappropriatetodiscussdonatingone'sorganswhiledoingone'sbesttopickletheminalcohol,itisimportanttoshareone'swishesregardingorgandonationwithone'sfriendsandimportanttogetthemtoconsiderdonatingtoo.
Iftheworstcomestotheworst,oneofyoumightneedalivertransplantbeforetoolong;forsomepeoplethepointofthepubisnotconver-sationbutdrinking.
PubsandPublicHealthBeforebuyingthefirstdrink,abriefdiversion:itwouldbeirresponsibleforanarticleaboutthephilosophyofpub-goingnottohaveahealthwarningattachedtoit.
So,asimpliedbytheprecedingparagraphs:drinkingalcoholcanharmyourhealth.
However,althoughdrink-ingalcoholcanclearlybeharmful,it'snowherenearasriskyassomedoctorsandscarestoriesinnewspapersclaim.
Infact,manyalcoholhealthwarningsshouldhavelogicwarningsattached.
Forexample,whentheBsafe^weeklyalcohollimitformenwasloweredtofourteenunitsinlinewiththefemalelimit(UKDepartmentofHealth2016)theChiefMedicalOfficerarguedasfollows:Ifyoutake1,000women,110willgetbreastcancerwithoutdrinking.
Drinkuptotheseguide-linesandanextra20womenwillgetcancerbecauseofthatdrinking.
Doubletheguidelinelimitandanextra50womenper1,000willgetcancer…That'snotscaremongering,that'sfactandit'shardscience(Weaver2016,5)Thismightmakeforsoberingreadingforsomepeople(literally)butamorehelpfulwayofcommunicatingthesamefactswouldbeByoucandrinktwicewhatwerec-ommendandthere'sonlya5%chancethatyou'llgetcancerasaresult—andinanycasethere'sa10%chanceyou'llgetcancerevenifyoudon'tdrink^(Shaw2016,3).
Inamorerecentcase,alargestudyintheLancetfoundthatBthereisnosafelevelofdrinking^.
AsDavidSpiegelhalterpointedoutinanexcellentcritique(Spiegelhalter2018),thispaperdidnotevenprovideanyabsoluteriskstatistics—butthepressreleaselinkedtothearticlesurprisinglydid.
Itsummarizedthemainfindingsasfollows:Bcomparingnodrinkswithonedrinkadaytheriskofdevelopingoneofthe23alcohol-relatedhealthproblemswas0.
5%higher—meaning914in100,00015–95yearoldswoulddevelopaconditioninoneyeariftheydidnotdrink,but918peoplein100,000whodrankonealcoholicdrinkadaywoulddevelopanalcohol-relatedhealthprobleminayear^(TheLancet2018,6underBRisksAssociatedWithAlcohol^).
Or,toputitdifferently,for99,996outofevery100,000peopledrinkingonedrinkaday,itdoesthemnoharmwhatso-everandpresumablytheywouldenjoythosedrinks.
AsSpiegelhalterstatestherisk,if25,000peopleeachdrank16bottlesofginayear,youwouldonlygetONEaddi-tionalhealthproblemfromallthatdrinking.
Doesthatmeanthatthereisnosafelevelofdrinking(Discussoverapint.
)Thelessonfromboththeseexamplesisthatit'sriskytotalkabouttherisksofalcoholwithoutgivingabaselinestatisticfortheunderlyingrateofmortality,evenifitdoesmakesensetokeeptrackofhowmanyunitsyou'vedrunkonanightout(seenextsection).
Aswellasrequiringsomedecisiontheoryandriskassessment,goingtothepubalsoinvolvessomeskillinmathematicsoratleastbasicarithmetic.
Ifhealthguide-linesareprovidedintermsofunits,itwillbehelpfultoknowwhataunitisandhowtocalculatethenumberofunitsinagivenalcoholicdrink.
Mostpeopledon'tknoweitherofthesethings,sohereisaquickguide.
Aunitis10mlofpurealcohol.
Luckilymostpubsdon'tservethatasadrink,butitequatesto25mlof40percentwhisky(asinglemeasure,unlessit'soneofthoserarepubsthatserves35mlmeasures).
Similarly,apintof4percentbeerisjustovertwounits,andaBlarge^(thoughsmallcom-paredtotheonespeoplehaveathome)glassofwine(250ml)islikelytobeoverthreeunitsassumingthatthewineis12percent.
Gettingyourheadaroundthesecalculationsishardenoughwhenyouaresober,soit'shardlysurprisingthatpeoplestarttolosetrackwhentheyBioethicalInquiry(2019)16:7–129trytocountunitswhileactuallyconsumingthem(asMorrisseyoncesanginahelpfuldescriptionofBritishpubculture,BandsoIdrankone,itbecamefour,andwhenIfellonthefloorIdrankmore^).
Bingedrinkingiscommonlyregardedashavingverymanydrinksinonesession,buttechnicallyabingeisanythingoversixunitsformenorwomen(UKNationalHealthService2016).
(Interestingly,thedefinitionofbingingprovidedonDrinkaware'swebsitestatesthatitiseightunitsformenandsixforwomen,theolderdefinition[Drinkaware2018].
ThismayberelatedtothefactthatDrinkawareisfundedbythealcoholindustry,whichhasledtomuchcriticismofPublicHealthEngland'spartnershipwiththecharity[Gilmore,Bauld,andBritton2018].
)Aswellasalcoholconsumptionguidelines,thereareotherpublichealthstrategiestoprotectthepublicfromtheharmfuleffectsofalcohol.
AfteraprotractedlegalbattleagainsttheScottishWhiskyAssociation,Scotlandrecentlybecamethefirstcountryintheworldtointro-duceaminimumunitpriceforalcohol(BBC2018).
Thiswassetat50penceperunit,whichradicallyalteredthepricingofsomecheapcidersandspiritsinScotland'ssupermarkets.
Suddenlyahalf-litrecanofstrongcidercouldcostnolessthan2;ahalf-bottleofwhiskycouldretailfornolessthan8,almostdoublingthecoststoconsumers.
Theimpactofthesechangeswaslessap-parentinScotland'spubs,whereeachunitalreadycostmore,butpubsdidhavetomakeadjustments.
Asstatedabove,apintof4percentbeercontainsjustovertwounits,sotheminimumpricewouldbeabout1—wellbelowwhatmostpubschargeanyway.
But(empiricalresearchalert!
)somepubsseemtohavefailedtofactorinthecombinedeffectsofstrongerdrinksandvouchers.
Totakeoneexample,awell-knownchainwasatonepointsellingBWobblyBob^IndianPaleAle(IPA)attheveryreasonablefullpriceof1.
88.
Thisstrongbeeris6.
5percentalcohol,or3.
7units,forwhichthemini-mumpriceis1.
85.
Noproblem,onemightthink.
ButaCampaignforRealAle(CAMRA)voucher(whichallmembersreceive)reducesthepriceby50pence—iron-ic,asthatistheminimumpriceforaunit.
ThismakesapintofWobblyBob1.
38,or37penceperunit,meaningthatanypubthatacceptedthevoucherwouldbebreakingthelaw—specifically,theAlcohol(MinimumPricing)(Scotland)Act2012.
(Aswellaspotentiallybreakingthelaw,somepubchainsarealsobreakingthelawsoflogic.
OnechaindecidedtostopsellingchampagnebecauseofBrexit,whilecontinuingtosellprosecco.
)RoundsandRelativeRiskItisanacceptedpartofpubetiquettethateachmemberofagroupnormallytakesitinturntobuydrinks.
(Indeed,itissoacceptedthatgreatapprobationgreetsthepersonwhoistooslowtobuyhisround,andtheefficientbuyerrisestogethisroundwhenthereisstillaninchorsoleftineveryone'sglasses,inordertoavoidthedreadedlimboofnothavingadrink,evenifonlyforacoupleofminutes.
)Thissocialconventionhassomepracticalad-vantages:itistime-savingandfairinthatitisturn-based.
Butitalsohasseveralpotentialdrawbacks.
Itiswellknownthatifsomeoneenjoysseveraldrinksboughtbyhisfriendsbutleavesbeforebuyingaround,theresent-mentthatresultsmaynotbetransient.
Furthermore,everyoneknowstowatchoutforthe(false)friendwhoalwaysordersexpensivesinglemaltwhiskiesinsteadofcheapbeerwhenit'snothisround.
However,therearemoresubtleissuestoo.
Oftenifonlyafewpeoplehavearrived,everyonewillbekeentobuythefirstroundbecauseitwillbecheaperthanalaterroundwhenevery-oneispresent.
However,theluckypurchaserofroundonemayfindthatthissavingisoutweighedbythedisadvantageofhavingtogetbackuptwoorthreetimestobuythelatecomerseachadrinkwhentheydofinallyarrive.
ThereisalsothedawningfearthatgraduallygripstheearlybuyerwhenitslowlybecomesapparentthattheeveningisgoingwellandtherewillbethereforeneedtobeN+1roundswhenthereareonlyNpeoplepresent,necessitatingthathebuytworounds.
Overall,therisksinvolvedinbeingthefirstbuyerprobablyoutweighthoseinvolvedingettingalaterround.
Itshouldbenotedthatthefairnessofbuyingroundsisalsoaffectedbytherelativepricesofdifferenttypesofbeerandbypeopleswitchingtospiritsinstead,whichcanbemoreexpensivefinanciallybutlesssointermsofhangoversandhealth,giventhatthetypicalspirit-baseddrink(exceptcocktails)containsonlyoneunitversusmorethantwounitsforapint.
Ifsomeonedrinksspiritsorhalfpintsalleveningthiscouldcreatebothadrunk-ennessdisparityandunfairnessintermsofrounds;thepersondrinkinghalfpintswillonlygethalfasdrunkbutwillendupcontributingmorethantheirshareintermsofmoney.
Itshouldgowithoutsayingthatonedoesnotorderfoodaspartofaround—unlessitisone'sownround.
Thereisalsoaninterestinginterrelationbetweenbuyingroundsandtheamountofalcoholconsumedbyeachpersonduringagiveneveningwhichispartly10BioethicalInquiry(2019)16:7–12fuelledbytheexpectationthateveryonewillbuyaround.
Dependingonageandcapacity,therewillcomeapointatwhichitisunwisetomaintainthisrule.
Clearly,iftherearefifteenpeopleoutdrinkingandeveryonebuysaroundsomepeoplewillbecomeveryunwell.
Equally,ifthereareonlythreefriendshavingadrinkandeachbuysoneround,everyoneshouldfeelokay,evenifmorethantwopintsofbeertechnicallyconstitutesabingeaccordingtocurrentguidelines(seeprevioussection).
Forextremelylargegroups,sub-groupsoftenforminordertomakeround-buyingmoremanageableandhealthyorakittyisused(seebelow).
Butthereisalargegreyareainbetween,andtheroundsruleoftenmeansthattheamountofalcoholconsumeddependsdirectlyonhowmanypeoplecomeout.
Forexample,iffivefriendsgoouttogether,oneroundeachorfivedrinksdoesnotseemridiculous(N=5,R=1).
Iftherearesixorsevenpeoplepresent,though,itbecomesmoredangerous.
Andsmallnumbersarenotnecessarilysafer;ifthreefriendsdecidetohaveonemoreroundaftertheyhaveeachhadthreedrinks,theroundsrulewillpressurethemtohavethreemoreroundsinsteadongroundsoffairness.
Therewillbesomecaseswherethenumberoffriendspresentactuallyreducesratherthanincreasesthenumberofdrinksthateachonehas;forinstance,iftherearethreepeoplethentworoundseachmightseemokaybutiftherearefouritislesslikelythatanymoredrinkswillbeboughtafterthefirstroundofrounds.
Infact,thenumberofdrinksthateachpersoncon-sumesisoftendetermineddirectlybythenumberofpeopleinattendance.
Thisisunhealthy,asitmeansthateconomicjustice(everyonecontributesroughlyequally)istrumpingdrinkinghealthily.
Althoughmuchpublichealthriskcommunicationaboutalcoholisnotjustifiedbythescientificevidence,westillshouldnotletouralcoholconsumptionbedecidedrandomlybythenum-beroffriendsthatturnsup.
Thus,itmaybehelpfultodevelopaformulathatmakesiteasiertodrinkrespon-sibly,whilealsoallowingpeopletosettheirownlimits—preferablybeforethefirstdrink,asoneoftheinhibitionsreducedbyalcoholistheinhibitiontodrinkmorethanissensible.
Let'scallNthenumberofpeoplepresent,Rthenumberofroundsthateachpersonisgoingtobuy,andDthemaximumnumberofdrinkseachpersonwantstohave.
Wethenhave:R=D/N,asthetotalnumberofdrinksboughtshouldbedividedequallybetweenthemembersofthegroup.
ButhowshouldweestablishthevalueofDAsstatedinthepreviousparagraph,itisoftenestablishedbyD=N,or2Nor3Nintheinterestsoffairness—everyonegetsaround(ormultiplesofrounds),evenifitkillsthem.
Ifthat'sthecasethenthenumberofroundseachpersongetsifit'sagroupoftenisone.
But,althoughitisanawkwardsubjecttobroach,pubgoersshouldbemoreprudent.
Dshouldbeestablishedindependentlyintermsofthemaximumamountthateachpersonwantstodrinkinanevening;onceonepersonreachestheirownlimit,roundsshouldcease(whichcouldbeawkward—ascouldexplainingthisformulatoyourfriendsinthefirstplace).
Box1illustratesthisformulainaction.
Thisisjustaroughguide,andalltheexamplesarebasedonNbeingamaximumoffour(whichwouldstillbeabingeifeveryoneisdrinkingpintsofbeer).
Occasionally(veryoccasionallyamongsomegroupsoffriends)oneofthepartywilldecidenottodrinkanyalcoholbecauseheisnotwellorhasworkthenextday,isdrivingorisateetotaller.
Normallyonlythelasttwooftheseareregardedasanysortoflegitimatedefenceagainstincessanturgingfromone'sfriendstoBgoon,haveadrink,^andeveninthecaseofdrivers,friendswilloffertopayforataxiifalcoholisconsumed.
Anotherissueraisedbynotpartakingwithone'sfriendsisthatwitheachsuccessivedrinktherelativeperceivedhilarityofandinterestintheconversationwillincreaseindirectproportiontoitsdecreasingactualhilarityandinterestbutdecreaseindirectproportiontoitsactualhilarityandinterestforanynon-drinkers.
Thisrapidlyaugmentingdisparitymayforcethenon-drinkertogotothebarafterallorjusttogohome.
Itmightbethoughtthatitgoeswithoutsayingthatanyonedrinkingshouldnotdrivehome,asdoingsoputslivesatrisk.
However,inmanycountriesonedrinkisstilllegallyifperhapsnotBox1Aroughguidetocalculatingahealthynumberofrounds4drinks/8people,r=0.
5,whichmeanssplittingintotwogroupsoffourandgettingoneroundeachforthatgroup.
4drinks/2people,r=2,tworoundseach4drinks/3peopler=1.
3,oneroundeachandoneextra(awkward)4drinks/4people,r=1,oneroundeach4drinks/5peopler=0.
8,probablyenduphavingfivedrinkswithoneroundeach4drinks/6people4=0.
6,justhavethreedrinkseachintwogroups—otherwisesixdrinks4drinks/7peopler=0.
57,thisisveryawkwardandhopefullysomeonewillnotturnupBioethicalInquiry(2019)16:7–1211sociallypermissible.
ArecentstudyfoundthatdrinkingevenBonly^uptothemaximumpermittedinEnglandandWalesincreasestheriskofinvolvementinacrash14-fold—ariskworthconsidering(Romanoetal.
2014).
Thealternativetobuyingroundsistohaveakitty,whichisoftenthesolutionusedforverylargegroupsofdrinkers.
Whileitavoidsmanyofthecomplica-tionsofrounds,thekittyismoreopentoexploitationbecauseitisonepotthatanyonecandipinto;thenatureofthelargergroupandlackofregularityconferredbyroundsalsoincreasestheriskofembez-zlement.
However,sometimesthekittyistreatedasasharedresourceandeveryonetakesitinturnstogoup;thisismoreequitablethanthemodelwhereonepersonisresponsibleforthekittyandistheonlyonewhohastogotothebar.
Conclusion:LastOrdersandthePost-PubConversationThefirstpartofthepost-pubconversationactuallytakesplaceinthepub;itconcernswhethertogoanywhereelseafterleavingit.
Generallythelikeli-hoodofgoingtoanightclub(i.
e.
disco,notstripjoint)willdependlargelyonwhethereveryonegotoneroundeachorslightlymore—tworoundsandupandyou'redoomed,andsoistomorrow.
Thelikeli-hoodofgoingsomewhereelseandcarryingondrink-ingisalsolinkedtowhethertheshoutofBlastordersgentlemenplease^coincideswiththebuyingofthelastplannedround.
Ifitdoes,hopefullyeveryonewillgohome.
Ifitdoesnot,thengoingontoaclubmightbenecessaryforthesakeofequity,withallthepotentialhealthhazardsthatentails.
Intheend,goingtothepubislargelyaboutdialogue,andalcoholcertainlyenablesthat.
Butifyoudrinktoomuch,youmightfindthatallyouknowthemorningafteristhatyouknownothingaboutthenightbefore.
Ihopetohaveillustratedinthisarticlehowevensome-thingasseeminglysimpleasgoingtothepubcanraiseinterestingphilosophicalandethicalissues.
Arranginganightinthepubcanactuallybequitefraught;healthwarningsneedtobetakenwithapinchofsalt;anddespitethat,ifweactuallythoughtmoreaboutwhatwe'redoingintermsofdrinking,wecouldleadhappierandhealthierlives.
CompliancewithEthicalStandardsConflictofInterestDeclarationIlikegoingtothepubbutnoneofthisarticlewaswrittenthere.
IwasnotdrunkwhilewritinganyofthisarticlebutmayhavebeenmildlyhungoverwhenIhadtheideaforit.
Publisher'sNoteSpringerNatureremainsneutralwithregardtojurisdictionalclaimsinpublishedmapsandinstitutionalaffiliations.
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