Last Call: 5 Reasons to Scale Back Your Alcohol Consumption in China

Last Call: 5 Reasons to Scale Back Your Alcohol Consumption in China
Sep 29, 2012 By Andrea Scarlatelli , eChinacities.com

Let's face it, if you're an expat living in China, chances are you consume alcohol. I would even venture to say you consume a lot of it. It simply seems to be the way of life here for foreigners. Even if you weren't a very big partier in your home country, there's just something about being out of your element, meeting new people, and having the money here that makes many of us want to go out drinking every weekend (or every night, for some). But there's a definite downside to living the rock star lifestyle in China. Below are some reasons to consider cutting back…

1) Faking it is never a good idea
The massive hangover—pounding headache, multiple trips to the bathroom, curling up in the fetal position on the nearest piece of comfortable furniture—is almost a rite of passage in the drinking world. Unfortunately, here in China drinking too much can lead to something much more serious. The prevalence of fake alcohol has been estimated by several food and beverage experts in China to be as high as eighty percent. Indeed, most of us are all-too-familiar with bars charging premium prices for "premium" spirits that are, in fact, brand name bottles filled with cheaper, lower quality spirits. But there are also more extreme cases of illegal operations, which, mixing methanol (commonly found in anti-freeze) and methylated spirit (a purple chemical combined with bleach to get rid of its suspicious color), produce and sell dangerous fake alcohol to bars to be consumed by their unassuming patrons. This sort of fake alcohol can result in a range of…unpleasant…effects, including blindness, pancreatitis, gastritis, and death. Vodka seems to be the most popularly faked alcohol, but it's good to practice caution regardless of the spirit chosen. Luckily, there are a few ways to spot fakes.

2) Real alcohol is real expensive
For various reasons, the most compelling of which would probably be death, fake alcohol should be avoided at all costs. So you scout out the higher-class bars where real alcohol is much more likely to be served. Score one for vision! But wait—you quickly notice that these cocktails at the "real bars" are five to six times the price of a mixed drink at your local dive! And heaven forbid you attempt to compare prices with one of those infamous 100 RMB "all you can drink" open bars (otherwise known as "the place where fake alcohol goes to get drunk"). So let's do the math, shall we? Disregarding those select few on a "full" expat package—if you're making 50k per month, an 80 RMB vodka soda isn't going to phase you—most expats need to count their kuais and maos. Let's say one goes out twice a week, consuming an average of five drinks per night at 70 RMB per drink at a high scale bar: that comes to 700 RMB per week, or 2,800 RMB per month. At a typical expat salary of 10,000 RMB per month, that's 28% of one's salary – gone. Not on food, not on rent, just on a few hours of hazy good times that punish you the next day with that aforementioned pounding head and nausea. Good times, indeed. 

3) Fighting is a losing game… especially if you're a foreigner in China
There are many different types of drunks: the happy drunk, the horny drunk, the sad drunk. But let's take a moment to discuss the kind of drunk that will get you into trouble anywhere, but especially China: the aggressive drunk. Alcohol is known to increase aggression. According to Psychological Science, this is because "alcohol impairs the part of the brain involved in allocating our limited mental resources—specifically attention and working memory. When we can only focus on a fraction of what's going on around us…drunks narrow their social vision, concentrating myopically on provocative cues and ignoring things that might have a calming or inhibiting effect." Not surprisingly, this goes a long way toward explaining pretty much every story you'll ever read on expat websites about people getting thrown in jail after getting into fights at various bars.

Yet sometimes alcohol isn't even involved in foreigners being arrested in China, as was the case a few weeks ago when I saw a car hit a foreign cyclist in Shanghai. Understandably upset, the foreigner started yelling at the Chinese driver. A few minutes later a police car drove up, and the expat was put in handcuffs and taken away. If this is what happens to a foreigner when he's not even at fault, imagine what happens when alcohol becomes involved. Drinking increases the likelihood of conflict, whether it's with your significant other, your friends, or a stranger. Less drinking means less fighting—and that's always a good thing. 

4) Real friends can tolerate each other soberly
In English, we have the phrase "fair weather friends." In Chinese, its equivalent is "酒肉朋友," which translates to "alcohol and meat friends". Alcohol can be a great way to meet people, as it loosens inhibitions and facilitates bonding (so-called "social lubrication"). But it also tends to result in a lot of the above-mentioned type of friendships. It's easy to feel isolated in China—surrounded by a new culture, a new language, and new people—and going out to grab a drink can seem like an easy way to feel more comfortable in your surroundings. But continuously doing so can actually hurt your chances of finding real friends—friends with whom you don't always have to get sloshed in order to have a good time together. Realizing your best buddy is the bartender at your favorite watering hole can lead to not-so-happy revelations about your life here in China, which, in turn, can result in long-term depression. Speaking of which…

5) The booze blues—it's a real thing
And now we come to everyone's least favorite alcohol-related conversation: depression. In addition to the numbing monotony of bar hopping, prolonged drinking can lead to chemical changes in the body that make even "happy" people depressed. The initial results of drinking are often invigorating, most likely due to both the alcohol's sugar levels and its muting of the behavioral inhibitory centers (www.ucc.nd.edu). But the consumption of alcohol also lowers serotonin levels, the same neurotransmitter that is lacking in people with chronic depression. Overall, even a night or two of heavy drinking can cause feelings of mild depression days later as the body struggles to once again achieve a hormonal balance. Reducing one's alcohol consumption can go a long way toward helping improve both physical and mental health. And the joy of waking up hangover free? Priceless.

Warning:The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.

Keywords: China expat drinking culture fake alcohol in China alcohol consumption in China alcohol and depression

4 Comments

All comments are subject to moderation by eChinacities.com staff. Because we wish to encourage healthy and productive dialogue we ask that all comments remain polite, free of profanity or name calling, and relevant to the original post and subsequent discussion. Comments will not be deleted because of the viewpoints they express, only if the mode of expression itself is inappropriate.

carlstar

Fake beer is a beat up on the spot type of crime. You don't want to piss off drinkers.

I never go to bars in China, awful places. What about bottles from the super market or local store?
and
Where can you get your own brewing kits in China. Oh god, is the water actually real? I love the government, they are tops. Great they look out for people.

Sep 30, 2012 05:56 Report Abuse

Bozo

I am trying to write a response...but I have a cracking hangover.

Sep 29, 2012 22:07 Report Abuse

Duff Man

Jesus, now there's fake alcoholic drinks in China??? Jeez, is China capable of producing quality real products??? As for us foreigners, we pretty much ignore each other at the instant sight. Other foreign men and women don't even bother to so much as make eye contact or a simple greeting as if I'm the enemy.

Sep 29, 2012 18:59 Report Abuse

tauney

I'm pretty sure I fell victim to the fake booze at a so-called "high class" establishment. It was, of course, suspiciously cheap...35rmb for a gin and tonic-- and it's served in a pint glass. It tasted fine...but of course, lemon and tonic water go a long way to covering up real tastes. I had one of those and a beer, and the next day I had the worst hangover of my entire life. It lasted the entire day and into the next. I was throwing up until 7pm the following evening.

That was my wakeup call. I just drink a couple beers at a place I trust now, and then toddle off home, or stick to wine from my friend's winery (imported from Australia).

Sep 29, 2012 16:07 Report Abuse