According to government statistics, men of all social classes in Britain visit pubs quite regularly, 1 the kind of pub they go to may be different and their reasons for going there 2 too. Nowadays they often take their wives or girl-friends, which 3 to be the case.
The fact is that the typical English pub is changing, partly 4 the licensing laws not being so strict as they 5 , but also because publicans are trying to 6 away with the old Victorian 7 of the pub and 8 provide couples with an atmosphere where they can both enjoy themselves. Pub used not to open 9 at certain times. The result was that they were usually 10 with men who seemed to be drinking as much as possible in the time 11 . But that kind of pub is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.
Curiously enough, the old British licensing laws, which foreigners found so objectionable and absurd, were 12 introduced as a 13 measure to stop workers drinking in the First World War. 14 , the strong Puritanical 15 in Parliament took 16 of the law and 17 it.
Opening hours are 18 limited to eight hours a day, but the publican can now choose which hours 19 him best. And these days you can even get a cup of coffee if you prefer 20 beer. But in spite of this the Puritans would never dream of admitting that a pub could become a repeatable place.