This sounds more like people going to pubs to get hammered instead of going there to be social. The beer gardens around here are full of people enjoying a cold one. No one goes there to get drunk. Same with the pubs (mostly). Tons of young people there. Maybe we just have a different pub culture on the continent?
I live in the UK and honestly from what I've seen at least nice beer gardens are doing great, and even many of the regular pubs aren't necessarily doing badly.
I think people do like going out for a drink (and certainly not just to get drunk), rather I think the bigger problem is that its become far too expensive for many.
How much of a business profit comes from people getting drunk though? One serious drinker might spend as much a small group of people just enjoying a beer or two.
Adults in the UK drink to get drunk, like Italian 15 year olds. It is different for young adults, who are adopting a more “continental” approach to alcohol.
