As we’ve heard
before, Ireland is known for having a strong connection with pubs (THERE ARE
MORE THAN 10.000 OF THEM!) and they represent the friendship and camaraderie
between the customers. In Ireland a pub is not only a place where you can get
drunk and do silly stuff – it’s more like a social center. A lot of people go
to pubs to have a good talk with their friends, the barstaff and even
strangers.
Smoking was one
of the main attractions of pubs, but everything changed in March 29th,
2004, when the Irish government decided that smoking in workplaces was a big
deal, so they decided to ban it.
In
2004, 29% of the population were smokers, but they were not the only ones affected by the habit. A lot of people
were exposed by second-hand smoke. Until now, the smoking rate has been on the
decline, reaching a 22% in 2014.
People accepted
it and pubs are cleaner now, but is it enough? Ireland consumes 11.6 liters per
capita of alcohol, placing them as the third country with the highest alcohol consumption in the world in 2012.
Could they change their habits without losing their customs? If the government
decides to ban alcohol consumption in certain circumstances, will it affect
their social life? Maybe people will find it difficult to change such an
historical tradition, but it would be worth the effort.
I think it is really cool that they have banned smoking in places like these, it is a matter of respect. And i don´t think banning alcohol consumption would be a very good idea because as i ca see it is like a tradition for them to drink, but anyways you never know what can happens so the only way to know if that will affect their social life is by making the change.
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