By Rory Nell, Third Year, Liberal Arts
These days, drinking at home before a night out is a pretty well-documented phenomenon. Academics have even adopted their own slightly pretentious term for the practice now, calling it ‘preloading’ as if students were a kind of dangerous weapon. I can already hear the UBHC and UBRFC protesting loudly that they definitely are. The ability to neck nine VK’s and be sick in the La Rocca toilets does not make you a ‘dangerous weapon’. Sorry guys.
Most of us have got it wrong at least once, ending up nowhere near a club dancefloor, our heads firmly on pillows or sometimes bathroom floors instead. So, let’s confront some alternatives. Are we going about this the right way? Are there other events or activities we could all get a bit more invested in? Additionally, what are the health consequences of us all necking a litre of ‘squadka’ twice a week, and is it actually better for your bank balance?
It should also be said, before I get to the more critical part of this, that pre-drinking culture can be really fun. Many memories, friends, and new concoctions have been conceived at pres, and this shouldn’t be forgotten. It’s an important part of meeting people and making friends, especially in your first year.
To start off, let’s look at how many of us pre-drink and why. I think most of us would claim that pre-drinking is for economic reasons. However, some studies have shown that people who pre-drink actually spend more on alcohol in a night than people who turn up to clubs relatively sober. The key word there is ‘some’. There is a concrete link between pre-drinking and heaving drinking. The price of drinks in supermarkets is definitely far lower than those in bars, pubs, clubs, and restaurants on average. In the long run pre-drinking is likely to save you money, but it also results in you drinking more.
The cost of drinking out in the UK has skyrocketed over the last 40 years, due to tax rises, the greed of massive international corporations and rising costs for landlords. With the pressures of the cost of living for students, we’ve turned to finding the cheapest ways to get drunk and make bad decisions. 42 per cent of students in the UK now pre-drink on a regular basis, according to the Students Alcohol and Drugs Survey 2024-25. This is actually down from previous years’ responses at 55 per cent, although this is the first year with a sizeable sample of students.
What about the health and social problems associated with heavy drinking? Well, 13 per cent of respondents last year reported that drinking made their existing mental health problems worse. That’s a real issue that we must ensure there are support services for. The mental health of students is critical to their happiness and success and we need to consider how to support them. Secondly, on a physical basis, heavy drinking is linked to serious health problems including life-threatening liver conditions later in life. The cost of alcohol related health problems now amounts to £4.9 billion a year taken out of NHS budgets. The recommended amount to drink to decrease significant health risk factors is 14 units a week. That’s six pints of lager or one and a half bottles of wine. I think plenty of us would sheepishly admit to having a bit more than that.
So then what else could we turn to for fun? There are a lot of ways to have an entertaining night in Bristol or elsewhere, without booze. The cinema is a popular alternative, but admittedly that does require some decent films to be on! So what else? Board game cafes, comedy shows, theatre productions, and the old reliable restaurants don’t actually require any drinking at all, and can be entertaining alternatives. Bristol also has many societies which run events from aikido to birdwatching to baseball.
In the interest of providing proper prices for alternatives, here are some rough costings for a couple of nights out, booze free:
This represents by no means an exhaustive list, and the price ranges reflect the wide variety of options Bristol has to offer. If you want to see Greg Davies at the Hippodrome, you can, or if you don’t want to spend quite that eye-watering amount, there are plenty of ways to have cheap-ish, non-alcoholic fun. On the restaurant front, there’s a great app called First Table, which will get you 50 per cent off some of Bristol’s best restaurants. It’s definitely helped me have some great meals I couldn’t otherwise afford.
Amelie Patel
Ilona Hoffmann
One obstacle to good nights out can be finding out where and when things are happening. It’s something I definitely struggled with in my first year, as no-one knows where to find information about anything when you first arrive. So here are some pointers to get you started:
- Headfirst – A great app, focused on Bristol, that has a variety of night out options
- Student Groups’ Social Media – almost all societies will post on Instagram or WhatsApp about their events, and you can find their details on the SU website.
- VisitBristol – A website that lists a large number of events going on, from theatre productions, restaurants, museums, and exhibitions.
- Epigram’s 'What’s On' Section – We here at Epigram can keep you informed too! Just look at our paper to find out what’s on in Bristol.
All in all, perhaps we would all be better off giving a few more sober nights a go, savouring some of the delights that Bristol has to offer, away from the Triangle or the bass-beats of head height speakers, or at the bottom of a pint of ‘squadka’.
Featured image: Epigram / Maya Tailor
Will you be opting for more booze-free activities?
