Is it time to start sipping more sensibly?
Partying, drinking, trebles, students, and nightlife is some of the lexis that people initially tend to associate with the city of Newcastle. But has the reputation of drinking in Newcastle finally reached a stand still?
The vibrant student city has built up quite a distinct reputation over the years, mainly due to its representation in the media, via Geordie Shore, and, of course, its strong link to football. This reopens these relevant, valid, and important debates on toxicity surrounding alcohol, with the inclusion of different perspectives from students to event directors.
Co-editor in Chief and author at The Tab Newcastle and Newcastle University student, Emmie Foster, opened up earlier this year about her concern with the lack of useful conversation around alcohol consumption, amongst students in the Toon.
After recently speaking to her about her own experiences and her shift in perspective on drinking in the first year of university compared to second year, she expressed some regret when saying, “I prioritised my social life” because she “probably missed more than she attended” when it came to lectures, which isn’t an ideal outcome when you’re in this city with the end goal of getting a degree.
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It’s a well-known fact that no amount of alcohol is either healthy or safe, but the NHS recommend adults follow the guideline of drinking no more than 14 units of alcohol regularly, per week. “14 units is the equivalent to 6 pints of average-strength beer”, according to the NHS.
This means there are at least 9 units in 3 trebles. When trebles, known locally as trebs, are easily available at the fingertips of most university students in Newcastle; this is an extremely worrying piece of information to comprehend and is something often not considered. Most bars and clubs in Newcastle offer trebs as a trio, which certainly encourages an unhealthy level of drinking.
What’s a Treb?
Wes Allmark, Director at Groovement UK (an events company covering many of Newcastle’s biggest weekly events) and Treb UK, said: “Student drinking culture in Newcastle, although it is prominent, is not the excessive and dangerous thing it is often thought to be.”
He put his own creative spin on the classic treble that Newcastle has become famous for, with his brand Treb UK. Originally introduced to the Newcastle nightlife scene in 2021, the unique and strong beverage remains a hit amongst students in the north.
After speaking to Wes, he explained that “the ethos behind the drink is that its proportionally more expensive than a double, so it is not promoting excessive drinking with ridiculous deals.” He has reached almost 500,000 sales within the last 2 and a half years.
“But once you have a product that you’re happy with, it goes much further in the modern climate than simply having a few inflatables and cheap shots. Groovy Disco Tech is the prime example.”
Wes Allmark, Director at Grovement UK and Treb UK
In late September 2023, Treb UK announced plans to expand their brand further in North East England. In early December, the Treb UK team took to Instagram to announce a brand new Treb flavour. The launch for the Red Treb was held at Newcastle’s current most popular Friday event, Casa, on December 8th, where the drink was available to buy. Alongside this, it was also launched at The Cut the following day, offering the first 50 attendees a free can.
A shift in perspectives
We all know that any level of drinking alcohol is far from healthy, yet such a large portion of being a student appears to rely on it. Most social gatherings that occur at uni tend to end in pints, even if you promised yourself it was going to be an ‘early’ night.
“If someone has ordered too many drinks and is visibly too drunk, or their friend ends up ordering their drink for them, we can’t serve them”
Rebecca Dillon, Bartender in Jesmond
Watch the short clip below to see how the toxicity is viewed from behind the bar.
Here is a representation of how the habits, which are cultivated throughout the city, can have a lasting impact on the mental health of students.
How have Newcastle’s events been impacted?
Jack Gaddas, Events Owner and Manager in Newcastle, stated that the council have introduced a requirement to be a licensed promoter: “To make sure that the people that are running events are running them properly and running them safely”.
He explained that he has personally seen massive shift in the perspective students have on attitudes towards drinking this year and suggests that price increases are to blame. “Even look at places like Dog & Parrot, where when I moved to Newcastle it was 3 trebs for £5, and now it’s 3 trebs for £10.”
When running events, “we try to make it as affordable as we can” but “we obviously can’t go and do £2 doubles because we don’t want to sit there and promote binge drinking culture in our events.”, “I would say safety is a massive concern”, said Jack.
Wes Allmark also added, “the successful events are the ones that have more attention to detail, more curation, and more focus on the music.”
Overall, from the perspective of students, bartenders, and event managers, it seems that the culture of drinking in the Toon is relaxing. Dangerous drinking options are slowly dying down , and more awareness is being raised within the events industry.
There just may be a healthier relationship emerging between shots and students throughout the Toon.
If you need support regarding drinking or mental health, please click the following links:
Drink Aware – advice and support
Totally agree! love this