Society

In Germany, beer is a staple

At carnival flows of the alcohol already in the Morning. But otherwise drink German love quite early a beer. At least some of them. And for the seems perfectly normal to be surprised Zulfikar Abbany for years.

I live for about 20 years in Germany and since then, I wonder again and again why it’s considered normal, early in the Morning to drink beer.

I have several times lived here. In 1992, when I first went to Germany, I worked as a night porter in a small Hotel. The owners were an older couple. Each Morning they came around 6:30 am to my job. If the husband alone came, he went first to the refrigerator in the Breakfast area, grabbed a cold bottle of beer, opened it, took a big swig and said, “Ah, the good eau de Cologne!”

I was shocked, but there was no reason to worry. Otherwise, the man was perfectly normal.

Now and again, I had after the night shift, falling asleep. A friend suggested me I should be a beer drinking, when I get home. That would help, but I should not overdo it. Once I have tried it, has helped it not me.

The Council may seem odd, but he was as normal as the sight of my boss, in the morning at half past seven, have a beer, now and then. For me as a German observer was clear: The Germanic culture is based on two stable pillars: beer and sausage.

Alcohol and health

Today sees the matter differently. Among physicians there is Consensus that there is a direct link between alcohol abuse and certain types of cancer. These include head and neck carcinomas, in which Motörhead singer Lemmy Kilmister – rock musician and long-time alcoholic has died. Other examples include esophageal cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer.

Since it is known that the risks during normal Drinking to start, and with increasing consumption will be larger, the Germans have their drinking habits changed.

A beer before work

Years after my night shifts at the Hotel and after a just as successful graduation I became a Journalist. If I have early shift had me regularly workers noticed the beer, while on the tram waited.

They fought with the alcohol against your hangover of last night? No, it was simply the normal state of Affairs: For one, there is coffee for Breakfast, for others, just Kölsch. This nonsense with the “bottles in paper bags to hide” are there not in Germany. That makes you only in the United States.

I found the Whole already at that time strange and find that still.

The other morning at the Cologne main station, I have a husband watched, at the window of another train was sitting. He was quite Intellectual – the glasses down to the tip of the nose pushed forward, and was with his mobile phone deals. Standing before him, a fresh bottle of beer. The Situation seemed totally normal, not as if he is embarrassed would – and after an alcoholic the man saw not well.

To the carnival grows the beer almost to the trees

But how does an alcoholic already?

Everything goes crazy

Who is the subject of on-site research like you can now in Cologne do. The town celebrates “carnival”, the most important holidays of the year, as I am a Bank clerk once explained.

People of all Stripes and of all ages start traditionally on the Thursday (“women’s carnival”) at 11 PM with a Drink and listen to, apart from the interruptions due to sleep or unconsciousness until next Tuesday.

The beer – Kölsch – is such an important part of the Rhenish culture, that it is almost like the water is treated, not as other beer, wine or liquor, although it has an alcohol content of four to five percent. This is a Problem, because many do not know when to stop Drinking.

Small Numbers, heavy impact

The blood alcohol content (BAC) is the percentage of Ethanol in the blood. Is measured in units of Alkoholmasse per volume of blood. At a BAC of 0.001 to 0,029 makes you a normal impression, with only insignificant changes in behaviour.

From 0,030 makes the concentration, relax and lose inhibitions. If the BAC 0,100 reached, you can no longer speak clearly, the reaction time is extended, some people begin to stagger, have erectile dysfunction and need to pass.

Starting from a BAC of 0,200 it can cause mood swings and anger, or sadness. This may lead to violent behavior, memory loss, and unconsciousness.

Those who have a BAC of 0,300 reached, risking his life. The rising values are getting worse. At a BAC of more than 0.50, there is a high risk of poisoning and death. The kleinwirkenden Numbers fool you so vastly.

A reliable forecast about how many Drinks, for example, a glückseeligen BAC of 0.030, one can not review. This is different from Person to Person and depends on how much you can tolerate.

So prefer to be a little more careful.

Who but taken to an extreme for which is: just a beer the next Morning. Otherwise this is still a habit.