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\n\t\tI was that rare species of Brit who hated the pub (Picture: Edward Moore)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tI was that rare species of Brit who hated the pub (Picture: Edward Moore)<\/p>\n
My student flat was an absolute dive \u2013 it had stains on the carpet, washing up in the sink and the shower was only ever freezing or scalding.<\/p>\n
It was an absolute clich\u00e9, but I loved it there<\/p>\n
I had spent the first eighteen years of my life living with my parents, so to me it was a palace.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Albeit a palace without a working thermostat.<\/p>\n
But there was one thing I had to contend with \u2013 it was the dream house to party in before the pub. Which, normally, plenty of young people would be fine with.<\/p>\n
However, I was that rare species of Brit who hated the pub<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 and I know that makes me a traitor.<\/p>\n \t\t Growing up, I had always been sensitive to noise; then in my late twenties I found out I was autistic<\/a>, and everything finally made sense. I understood why I struggled to make friends as a kid.\u00a0<\/p>\n I found it easier to hold conversations when I spoke to people about my niche interests but, unfortunately, there weren\u2019t any kids at my school in the early 2000s who were as intrigued as I was by French American artist, chess player, and inventor Marcel Duchamp<\/a>.<\/p>\n That changed when I started my English degree at The University of Portsmouth. My course mates were all pretentious nerds \u2013 I had found my people. For the first time in my life, I had friends who I really liked spending time with.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t They had watched the same artsy films I had, and listened to the same obscure bands. I was thrilled to have found them.<\/p>\n The only problem was, they liked going to the pub.<\/p>\n Although I loved my new life, I felt at odds with the pub drinking culture of the time. Going to a crowded space with people who talk over each other, with loud background music and occasional impromptu group singing was my idea of hell.<\/p>\n I also didn\u2019t drink at the time<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tHow do you feel about traditional pub culture?<\/p>\n I like pubs, but in moderation.Check<\/p>\n I don’t particularly enjoy pub culture.Check<\/p>\n I actively dislike pubs.Check<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tSign up to Metro’s Puzzles Newsletter and get your favourite puzzles sent directly to you every day!<\/p>\n Being autistic, I was so deathly afraid of losing control and saying the wrong thing or acting weird, that I stayed sober for my entire degree.\u00a0<\/p>\n The irony being that there is nothing which singles you out as strange more than being a British student who\u2019s teetotal.<\/p>\n So, whenever my friends would suggest the pub, I would delay them in our student house.<\/p>\n \t\t It was my favourite part \u2013 the \u2018pre-drink\u2019 before<\/a> the storm. Which tells you a lot about British drinking culture when we can, with a straight face, allude that drinking alcohol at home doesn\u2019t count \u2013 \u2018oh we\u2019re not drinking, this is just pre-drinks\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n They would get shop-bought drinks and play our Nintendo Gamecube \u2013 which was an outdated console even for the time, but it has the best version of MarioKart and you can fight me if you disagree.<\/p>\n Funnily enough, pre-drinks were my accessible, quiet space \u2013 not what people picture when they think of accommodations for autistic people but our quiet lounge and a pint glass of store-bought cola was what worked for me.<\/p>\n Every weekend, and some weeknights, I would prolong pre-drinks as long as possible until eventually my friends would insist that we go to the noisy pub, and I would have to choose between having a draining evening full of noise and discomfort or staying at home on my own.<\/p>\n It was easy at first \u2013 cooking oven pizzas or pouring them new drinks before they could protest \u2013 but soon I had to get creative.<\/p>\n \t\t On one occasion I suggested that we explore the loft of our student flat, an activity which made pre-drinks last for hours and remarkably resulted in no injuries, despite it requiring us balancing on a beam and investigating a handful of strange photos.<\/p>\n At one point an authentic shisha pipe<\/a> came into my possession, and I realised it was going to be an excellent tool for making pre-drinks go on for that little bit longer. We\u2019d been using it for maybe ten minutes when I had accidentally knocked it over and burnt the carpet.<\/p>\n Often the things which can make the world more accessible for autistic people are free and easy to do. This one cost me my entire house deposit.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t Now that I\u2019m in my 30s, I am revisiting and re-evaluating many things which I dismissed when I was young and pubs are one of those.\u00a0<\/p>\n I realised it wasn\u2019t the pubs I hated, it was the noise, sweat and smell coupled with the unpredictability of drunks. I do drink alcohol now\u2013 as I got older, I realised I was no longer afraid of people seeing the real me after a couple of ros\u00e9s.<\/p>\n As I sat in a quiet country pub recently \u2013 a far cry from the pints of snakebite and shouting I knew pubs to be as a student \u2013 I worked on my latest book.\u00a0<\/p>\n There were sheep grazing outside, a log fire crackled, and I snacked on some very upmarket crisps.<\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t help but think to myself \u2013 \u2018this is even better than pre-drinks\u2019.<\/p>\n Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Share your views in the comments below.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_308897546-36da.jpg\")
\n\t\tIn my late twenties I found out I was autistic (Picture: Joe Wells)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_308897533-ec71-e1787220790368.jpg\")
\n\t\tA pint glass of store-bought cola was what worked for me (Picture: Joe Wells)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_308897536-8b89-e1787220805736.jpg\")
\n\t\tI would prolong pre-drinks as long as possible until eventually my friends would insist that we go to the noisy pub (Picture: Joe Wells)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_308897526-3232-e1787220773692.jpg\")
\n\t\tI\u2019m in my 30s, I am revisiting and re-evaluating many things which I dismissed when I was young and pubs are one of those (Picture: Joe Wells)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_308897540-99e8-e1787220753423.jpg\")
\n\t\tI sat in a quiet country pub recently (Picture: Joe Wells)<\/p>\n
\nMORE: I became homeless at 13 \u2013 there was no support<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: London brewery is begging customers to stop queuing in single file at the bar<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: All the places you can get free food on GCSE results day \u2014 from Nando\u2019s to Zizzi<\/a><\/p>\n