When it comes to drinking, it seems that lifestyle habits in Europe have largely changed our relationship with alcohol for the better.
"No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health," the World Health Organization (WHO) warns, but that being said the amount of alcohol that we drink is still significant.
The risk of developing cancer increases considerably when more alcohol is consumed. Health authorities call for people to stop drinking alcohol or at least to reduce it.
But do we consider these warnings?
Although many individuals have taken up the practice of abstaining from alcohol during January as part of " Dry January", statistics suggest that the broader decrease in alcohol intake across Europe had started to decelerate since the past decade.
What has been the trend in alcohol consumption across Europe over recent decades? Could you identify which nations show the most significant decline and increase in drinking habits?
Overall alcohol consumption is defined as the annual sales of pure alcohol in litres per person aged 15 and over. Alcohol drinks are converted to pure alcohol. The data does not include unrecorded alcohol consumption, such as domestic or illegal production.
There is a gradual decrease in alcohol consumption in the EU and WHO's European Region.
In the EU, overall alcohol consumption per person aged 15 years and over dropped by 2.9 litres in the last four decades, falling from 12.7 litres in 1980 to 9.8 litres in 2020, which corresponds to a 23 per cent decrease.
The consumption recorded a significant decrease between 1980 (12.7 litres) and 2000 (10.5 litres).
The amount and rate of decrease slowed in the following two decades. It dropped by 0.5 litres between 2010 and 2010 in the EU.
Alcohol intake in the WHO’s European Region, encompassing 53 nations such as Russia and nearby countries, declined from 12 liters in the year 2000 to 9.5 liters in 2020, equating to a reduction of 2.5 liters (or 21 percent).
Even with this decline, the WHO European Region continues to have the highest alcohol consumption per capita globally.
Each year, everyone aged 15 and older in this region consumes an average of 9.5 liters of pure alcohol. This can be compared to approximately 190 liters of beer, 80 liters of wine, or 24 liters of spirits.
In 2020, yearly alcohol intake ranged between 1.2 liters per person in Turkey and 12.1 liters in Latvia across 36 European nations encompassing the EU, the UK, members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), and potential EU member states.
On average, people from European Union countries drank 9.8 liters of alcohol.
Among the European Union's "Big Four" countries based on economic and population size, Germany (10.6 liters) recorded the highest level of alcohol consumption, closely trailed by France (10.4 liters). Next came Spain with 7.8 liters and Italy at 7.7 liters. In contrast, the United Kingdom reported an average intake of 9.7 liters per person.
Examining nation-by-nation shifts from 2010 to 2020, alcohol intake decreased in 25 nations but went up in 11 others.
Several minor alterations were documented, yet the majority of nations exhibited notable variations during this timeframe.
Fourteen nations currently consume over one liter less per person.
In 14 nations, alcohol consumption dropped by more than one liter during this timeframe, whereas it went up in 5 other countries.
Ireland and Lithuania recorded the highest decline in alcohol consumption in this period. It dropped by 2.1 litres in both countries, closely followed by Spain and Greece (both 2 litres).
Netherlands, France, Cyprus, and Finland also saw drops exceeding 1.5 liters. Additionally, Serbia, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Switzerland, and Germany experienced decreases ranging from 1 liter to 1.5 liters.
Within the European Union, alcohol consumption decreased by 0.6 liters from 2010 to 2020.
The largest rise was seen in Latvia, with an increase of 2.3 liters in consumption.
In Bulgaria (1.4 liters), Malta (1.1 liters), as well as Romania and Poland (each at 1 liter), significant rises were observed. Increases exceeding 0.5 liters were noted in Norway, Italy, and Iceland.
Since alcohol consumption showed considerable variation throughout Europe, examining the percentage change serves as another valuable metric.
Greece showed the largest reduction at 24.1 percent, followed by the Netherlands with a decline of 20.9 percent, Spain with a drop of 20.4 percent, and Turkey experiencing a decrease of 20 percent.
The decrease percentage exceeded 15 in Ireland, Serbia, Lithuania, Finland, France, and Cyprus as well.
Latvia (23.5 per cent) had the highest rise in percentage change, too.
Many European countries have implemented a range of policies to limit alcohol consumption, such as taxation, restrictions on alcohol availability and bans on alcohol advertising.
However, their effectiveness is hindered by poor implementation on the ground and limited resources according to the OECD.
Is there an influence of gender on heavy alcohol consumption?
The intake of alcohol varies significantly between genders and educational levels. Instead of focusing on the quantity consumed, the survey examines the percentage of individuals who engage in heavy episodic drinking.
This refers to the proportion of individuals aged 18 years and older who stated they consumed at least 60 grams of pure alcohol, which equates to six standard drinks or more, within the last 30 days.
In 2019, almost twenty percent of adults (19%) stated they engaged in heavy episodic drinking at least monthly across EU nations, a figure that has stayed consistent since 2014.
Across all nations, men showed higher tendencies towards reporting intense episodes of alcohol consumption compared to women. Specifically, for the year 2019, throughout the European Union member states, approximately 26.6 percent of men admitted to engaging in such behavior at least monthly, whereas only 11.4 percent of women did so.
In Romania, the highest percentage of heavy episodic drinking among men was recorded at 55.2 percent. The incidence exceeded 35 percent in Denmark, Luxembourg, Germany, and Belgium as well.
In Denmark, Luxembourg, Germany, and Ireland, women exhibited the highest instances of heavy episodic drinking, with percentages exceeding 20 percent.
The proportion of male heavy drinkers compared to female counterparts highlights the gender disparity. In 2019, within the European Union, this figure stood at 2.33, suggesting that for every woman who was considered a heavy drinker, there were 2.33 men fitting the same description. The smallest ratios were observed in Ireland with 1.46, Iceland at 1.63, and Germany at 1.74.
In Turkey and Cyprus, which stood out as exceptions, this ratio exceeded 8 when it came to the significant disparity in alcohol consumption between genders.
Academic studies indicate that disparities between genders could be linked to varying cultural norms and uphold conventional gender roles. These discrepancies might also stem from the difference in employment opportunities and result in reduced earnings.
Light alcohol consumption is less prevalent among individuals with reduced educational levels.
The educational attainment level is significant when considering patterns of heavy alcohol consumption. Individuals with less education do not exhibit a greater frequency of binge drinking episodes across most European Union nations, with the exception of Latvia.
On average, 12.5 per cent of people with less than upper secondary education reported heavy episodic drinking, compared to 20 per cent or more of people with at least upper secondary (22.3 per cent) or tertiary education (20.2 per cent).
These variations notably indicate higher buying power.
The OECD’s "State of Health in the EU Cycle-2022" report revealed that individuals with increased education levels and higher earnings find alcohol more accessible. Conversely, when examining alcohol-induced harm, those with lesser socioeconomic standing bear a heavier load of such consequences.
The largest disparity between educational levels among heavy drinkers was observed in Latvia, Greece, Estonia, Bulgaria, and Lithuania.
In these nations, the frequency of heavy episodic drinking among individuals with less educational attainment was marginally greater compared to those with tertiary education.
Can we consider any amount of alcohol consumption to be safe?
It’s a straightforward query with a clear response: no, there isn’t.
"We cannot talk about a so-called safe level of alcohol use. It doesn’t matter how much you drink – the risk to the drinker’s health starts from the first drop of any alcoholic beverage," Dr Carina Ferreira-Borges, acting Unit Lead for Noncommunicable Disease Management and Regional Advisor for Alcohol and Illicit Drugs in the WHO Regional Office for Europe explained.
Nevertheless, the quantity of alcohol remains significant.
"What we can confidently state is that the greater your consumption, the more damaging it becomes—alternatively put, the lesser your intake, the safer it remains," asserted Ferreira-Borges.