I’m in the UK, one of the reasons I no longer play cricket is due to ‘laddy’ drinking culture. I don’t mind the odd drink but find it hard to fit into that environment. Being a bit shy and experiencing social anxiety I find groups tricky, I love cricket, I love playing cricket, but I find the social element very daunting.
I remember when I was around 18 and starting to play more adult cricket a guy saying to me something like ‘we’re going to teach you that drinking is more important than cricket’. It felt expected that you would stay after a game and have a beer for some teams I played in. My attitude is that if I want to drink I will go to a pub or whatever, I come to play cricket to play cricket!