In France, alcohol consumption has been declining for several decades, and the trend has been confirmed in recent years; This is what emerges from a study carried out by the Public Health France agency. But the level of consumption remains very high, points out the agency. The country remains one of the European countries where people drink the most alcohol.
2 mins
The French have been drinking less and less alcohol since the 1960s. This trend is driven mainly by the decline in wine consumption over the generations, and this is the result, recall the authors of the study of Public Health France, cultural developments and the implementation of public policies, including – since the early 1990s – the strong limitation on alcohol advertising (Évin law of 1991).
Occasional alcoholism
Thus, in 1992, a quarter of adults drank every day; in 2021, they were only 8%. In terms of weekly consumption, in 2000, 60% of adults drank every week, in 2021, there were 40%. On the other hand, this is not the same trend for what we call occasional heavy drinking (“binge drinking”), the fact of drinking six or more drinks on one occasion. The proportion of men having had this type of episode during the year has been stable since 2005, but among women it has increased.
Aggressive Marketing
Overall, women continue to drink less than men, but their behavior is similar to their male counterparts. The study particularly points to the aggressive marketing of the alcohol industry aimed at the female public. The authors also highlight the slow evolution of perceptions about the dangers of alcohol: only one in ten adults know that occasional consumption presents a health risk.
Alcohol consumption is responsible for around 41,000 deaths per year and is one of the leading risk factors for premature death, recalls the health agency, but France is “not not equipped with a national control plan “.
(With AFP)
Guest FranceChampagne suffers from the inflationary context