Why do Singaporeans drink so little? (best, life, cost, place)

[The Postman]

Although a lot of people drink and alcohol has been consumed in Asia for thousands of years, it seems alcohol culture and especially a culture of binge drinking isn't typical of most of Asia, aside from perhaps South Korea and a lesser extent Japan. It is also typically seen as more of a male thing in Asia.

Yet for being so westernised, I'm kind of curious why the rate in Singapore is so low, even compared to most of Asia.

List of countries by alcohol consumption - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It trails countries like Vietnam and China even. It's probably actually a good thing, but I would expect it to be close to Thailand.

Is it mostly to do with price? Like alcohol in Singapore is expensive compared to elsewhere in Asia.

It wouldn't be Islam or Hinduism, since perhaps 25% of Singapore's population is Muslim or Hindu, yet the rate is nearly as low as Malaysia with it's 63% of Muslims.

I suppose neither Indian, Malay or Chinese culture is big on drinking, yet it seems strange it'd be even lower than China and almost as low as India, one of the lowest in the world.

Perhaps Singapore has very strict laws relating to alcohol consumption and drunkeness? But it doesn't seem that way to me. Alcohol is widely available and even sold in 7/11's.

A lot of young Singaporeans seem to get drunk, but not to the extent of Australia or the UK or the US...I guess binge drinking doesn't seem part of the culture, but it's definitely mainstream to drink.

Among the older generations, I don't think most middle aged or older women in Singapore tend to drink, apart from maybe for health reasons. You'll quite often see a group of older Singaporean men in the hawker centres sharing some tiger beer or whatnot though.

Perhaps the stats are just way off...either way it's an interesting question.

[Davy-040]

I think everyone is to busy making money and don't have time to spend it.

[The Postman]

Originally Posted by Davy-040

I think everyone is to busy making money and don't have time to spend it.

It's interesting, though, Singapore has a lot of bars.etc and alcohol is widely available (although food is definitely much of a thing)...Japanese work a lot but they drink a lot too...I wonder if it's got deeper cultural reasons...I don't think alcohol was as popular in Southern China as the north either.

[ccm123]

Interesting question, and I've noticed this also when on business in Singapore. I don't have an answer...

[Tiger Beer]

I saw a ton of bars in Singapore, and went to a ton of them. But, drinking is very expensive in Singapore. The high cost of drinking makes it not as much fun. Plus, you have Thailand and Indonesia and Philippines all within the region, which are all have some of the best nightlife in the world. When you are drinking in Singapore, there is this realization that you are spending 3-4 times the money than those other 'best in the world' nightlife cities next door - Manila, Bangkok, Jakarta.

Put Singapore anywhere else in the world, and it wouldn't feel so bad at all.

[The Postman]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

I saw a ton of bars in Singapore, and went to a ton of them. But, drinking is very expensive in Singapore. The high cost of drinking makes it not as much fun. Plus, you have Thailand and Indonesia and Philippines all within the region, which are all have some of the best nightlife in the world. When you are drinking in Singapore, there is this realization that you are spending 3-4 times the money than those other 'best in the world' nightlife cities next door - Manila, Bangkok, Jakarta.

Put Singapore anywhere else in the world, and it wouldn't feel so bad at all.

I don't think it's bad as it is. I think Singapore offers a nice contrast to those hectic, dirty, chaotic cities, it's more organised and 'civilised' for want of a better word. The nightlife in Singapore isn't bad by world standards at all, but it's more like Europe in terms of price and the cachet of establishments than those cities you mention which have a lot of cheap ways to partay. It is ridiculous cheap and easy for Singaporeans to fly to Bangkok even for a weekend though.

[msgsing]

Yes, it's very expensive to drink in S'pore. They also have this BS practice in some places to raise prices as the evening wears on. You may pay twice as much at 10pm for a drink as you did say at 3pm.

[The Postman]

Originally Posted by msgsing

Yes, it's very expensive to drink in S'pore. They also have this BS practice in some places to raise prices as the evening wears on. You may pay twice as much at 10pm for a drink as you did say at 3pm.

Is that because of happy hour? If not that does sound rather stupid. Then again I've seen some clubs here which give discounts for those who arrive earlier.

[msgsing]

Don't think it's happy hour. One place I recall doing this was Brewerkz on Clarke Quay. On the other hand there is relatively cheap beer to be had at some of the food courts.

[The Postman]

Yes, drinking seems acceptable at outdoor food courts. I haven't witnessed any real violence there. It's quite a family-friendly environment. Clarke Quay is more high-end so that doesn't surprise me.