Residential location influences drinking habits.
Alcohol consumption patterns are deeply entrenched in different cultures worldwide. Whether one prefers beer, wine, or liquor, according to a recent study, is largely influenced by one's residence. While beer consumption is prevalent in Germany, certain countries stand out for their frequent binge drinking.
Whether someone sips a daily glass of red wine or often gets tipsy with schnaps, this also depends on their location. The way people handle various types of alcohol is so ingrained in culture that it hardly changes over a 20-year period in a country, as per a study on drinking habits in Europe published in the journal "Addiction."
Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals the dangerous impact of alcohol consumption. In every country investigated—which included EU countries, Iceland, Norway, and Ukraine—numerous deaths and lost life years were linked to alcohol. The countries with the highest alcohol-related damages are Ukraine, followed by Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, among others.
Alcohol is said to cause significant harm in Eastern European countries, where high-proof alcohol is frequently consumed. However, this is much less the case for Southern and Western European countries, which are characterized by wine consumption. Co-author Jürgen Rehm, who carries out research at the University of Toronto in Canada and the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, warns against the misconception that wine is good and schnaps is bad.
Six Distinct Drinking Patterns in Europe
"Ten grams of alcohol are ten grams of alcohol, whether someone drinks it as schnaps, wine, or beer," says Rehm. The main reason for the significant differences is the varying life expectancies in European countries. "Alcohol-related damages contribute to overall mortality. That means: A liter of pure alcohol causes different damages in different situations."
So alcohol is a significant factor in tuberculosis deaths, as alcohol damages both the innate and the acquired immune system. However, tuberculosis plays a minor role in a country like Germany, for example. Rehm concludes: "If the living conditions in the investigated countries were much more similar, then the numbers of alcohol-related deaths would also be much more similar."
The research team identified six distinct types of drinking patterns in Europe. The total amount of pure alcohol consumed in these groups varied little: it ranged from 9.2 liters in mainly wine-drinking southern European countries like France, Italy, and Greece, to 12.0 liters in Eastern European countries like Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, where both high-proof alcohol and other alcoholic beverages are consumed.
Frequent Binge Drinking in Poland, Czech Republic, and Croatia
According to the study, Germany belongs to the central and western European countries, characterized by significant beer drinking and relatively little consumed spirits. Additionally, there are countries with a lot of beer, a lot of schnaps, and frequent binge drinking, such as Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Poland. In countries of the fifth category, there are many anti-alcoholists, but also a lot of high-proof alcohol, such as Ukraine and Bulgaria.
Lastly, a group is mentioned in the study that consists of a large number of people who heavily drink alcohol, even into a drunken state: Finland, Iceland, and Ireland belong to this group. These country groups have remained relatively stable during the investigated years 2000, 2010, 2015, and 2019, according to the international research team. "Europe is still a region with pronounced drinking habits that seem deeply rooted in culture and therefore difficult to change."
Interestingly, an additional group with relatively little alcohol consumption was observed in the year 2000. This group later disappeared. Four of these countries—Norway, Poland, Iceland, and Sweden—had the strictest alcohol restrictions at that time, as revealed in an analysis by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Between the years 2000 and 2010, all four countries relaxed their restrictions.
Given that drinking habits are still significantly linked to disease and mortality, the authors recommend finding ways to change these learned patterns. "Alcohol political measures for this transition should be considered by all European countries."
