Expats and alcohol: social glue or social lubricant?

Spain famously has more bars than any other country in Europe, making socialising in the country rather easy, fun and affordable.

“Taking the edge off” is a well-worn phrase that is uttered by most of us after a busy week when all we want to do is reach for a beer or bottle of wine from the fridge.

Brits and the Irish are particularly eager to enjoy a tipple or two at the weekend, and the two nations’ drinking cultures are fairly well established as being central to much of social life…

But when Brits and Irish become expats, does this social lubricant become a kind of social glue? According to therapist Dhyan Summers, founder of Expat Counselling and Coaching, the drinking cultures of some ‘expat bubbles’ tend to stray on to the wrong side of what is healthy.

The therapist claims that many expat subcultures – particularly in expat strongholds such as Dubai and Spain – revolve solely around drinking. “There is definitely a higher risk and prevalence of alcohol abuse in the expat bubble,” she told the Wall Street Journal.

The problem is exacerbated, Summers adds, by the fact that very few expats who dip in and out of this bubble will recognise that there is a problem. “No one comes to me specifically for alcohol abuse. It’s simply a part of the lifestyle.”

The stresses that being an expat may bring – a different culture, a new language, lack of family or friend network – are usually outweighed by the benefits of life lived in another country. Many expats in Spain regularly cite their improved social life as one of the reasons why they enjoy living abroad.

But is alcohol being misused by some expats as a way to numb any difficulties they might face? The fact that alcohol is generally cheaper in Spain than in the UK or Ireland has an effect, as does the unique societal and even geographical setup of many expat communities. For many, life really does revolve around the central pub, bar or café in their neighbourhood – in a way, many expat communities have almost been too successful in importing their culture and lifestyle from abroad to their new home, and thus it is easy for expats to get a little too comfortable in their comfort zone.

Anecdotally, my own time spent as an expat in Spain was certainly drenched in more alcohol than it is now. But there are, and always will be for others, mitigating factors at play: age, time of life, career pressure, relationships etc… all have an impact, and often the expat bubble can feel like a goldfish bowl, magnifying issues and problems beyond reality.

Luckily for expats on the Costa del Sol, there are plenty of other cultural and leisure activities to enjoy that do not have to revolve around alcohol, making it – as has already been well established – easily the finest destination for Brits, Irish, or whoever, in which to make a wonderful new life for themselves overseas.