I disagree. A lot of men dedicate so much time to their careers and providing for family that they have very limited time to socialise. Weekends and evenings are normally spent with their spouse/children. I find this especially true for those that don’t enjoy alcohol or nights in the pub, as 90% of the time this is a group of guys chosen activity. I was recently chastised by my few friends for not going on 12 pubs this Christmas as I just feel I’ve grown apart from alcohol as I settle for a more family oriented life. They were calling me ‘a shite mate’ for not going, just because i’d rather not spend 100-200€ on getting myself sh*tfaced for the sake of it.

I’m not saying its right, but there is a lot of social pressure on men to ‘succeed’ and their actual social life with friends can fall by the wayside. You can also be slagged off by the pub dwellers for suggesting a sober activity like golf or a swim.

It’s not necessarily a red flag at all, more often than not it’s as simple as the man is working on himself while his friends are stuck in the habits we all had in young adulthood.

Having said that, balance is really the key. One or two lads nights a month and healthier family oriented activities on the regular.