Keep it local - Championing the pub

ANY discussion about drink must carry the standard caveat: drink responsibly or run the risk of dire consequences.

Even so, sensible, moderate drinking is at the heart of so much of the fun, warmth, and uplifting human interaction in our lives that it cannot be a black-or-white issue — we must leave room in our culture for sensible drinking.

And so very often that room is in the local pub, an institution celebrated in Oxford University research that concludes regular drinkers with a local pub nearby are “significantly” happier, have more friends, better life satisfaction, and actually drink more moderately than many of their contemporaries. The report, commissioned by the Campaign for Real Ale, celebrated local pubs as venues for face-to-face interaction, finding new friends and conversation, especially in small community pubs. It is hard not to regret the decline of the Irish pub. Though often at the root of tragedy it was, and still is in communities lucky enough to have a vibrant local, far more often a venue for celebration, joy, and whatever you’re having yourself...