And have you experienced howling drunks from Russia? Sounds like someone is reinforcing an otherwise stupid offensive streotype and one which dates simply to a tradition in which guests were offered a shot of vodka. Alcoholic by definition of a teetoler society (Religious post-prohibitionist America); howling certainty not.
Just generalizing from my experiences in Europe - there are far more howling drunks in Italy, where people start yelling and singing after a glass of Wine at a dinner party, than in Eastern Europe.
Eastern Europeans tend to be quite mellow, in that most people there are (crudely put) 'silent drunks' and are well customed to hard liquor and beer.
After all, go to Russia, Ukraine and all those countries, I've had drunk street people approach me, including one man wearing a gettup form the 1970s, they may bother you but otherwise I never heard much yelling or saw anything behaviourally unacceptable.
Go anywhere else in the world, including Canada, it seems like even having a shot of vodka is a socially acceptable excuse for reckless and incriminating behaviour.
Well you made need to generalize or guess but I do not.
I have fairly recently been to and worked in Russia.
At the same time I was also involved in training young Russian engineers.
Vodka consumption has historically been problematic for many Russians.
They tend to be very hard drinkers and I did not meet any Russians who deny that it can be a bit of a problem.
I have personally seen several very drunk Russians both wondering about in public or in bars or clubs.
I have also worked in Poland and the Ukraine.
As to Italy, I have just spent the last year on various engineering projects in Italy ranging from Rome up to Milan.
I was also involved whilst there with training/working with a bunch of young Italian engineers.
I think you may have confused "Dolce Vita" with public drunkenness.
I drank wine virtually every night, had a great time, made a bunch of good friends and ate some of the best food of my life.
In over a year in Italy I cant remember seeing one public drunk.
No doubt Italy has a few problem drunks but I sure did not see them.
To my eyes the UK, Scotland and Russia all have a much worse public drunkenness problem.
Trex
