As such, the highs and lows of pub life are frequent features in The News.
Here are some pictures from 2006 showing the good and the bad, from charity events to break-ins, and featuring many landlords from the time. There are also a few pubs which have sadly disappeared in the intervening 20 years.
9. The White House
The pub on the corner of Milton Road and Goldsmith Avenue was - possibly in breach of the Trades Descriptions Act - painted blue in 2006. It was demolished within a few years and houses are now on the site (060486-25) Photo: Jonathan Brady
10. The Town House
Landlady Karen Lennon was shocked to discover that her Southsea pub's cellar had been broken into and alcohol removed from a holding cage by a man spotted leaving the premises with a loaded wheelie bin (061978-19) Photo: Jonathan Brady
11. The New Inn
Landlord Ray Couling had lots of England flags up for the 2006 World Cup (062500-2) Photo: Paul Jacobs
12. The Hole in the Wall
Southsea landlord John McKerracher (left) with Sarah Walton, Liz Summerfield and Kerry McKerracher in Great Southsea Street, Southsea, where the whole community turned out to commemorate The Queen's 80th birthday with a street party (062625-0046) Photo: Michael Scaddan