Boozy Britain: Europeans now drink the equivalent of 460 beers per year, here our fascinating map shows how the UK compares Average British man sinks 850 beers, women quaff 327 glasses of wine per year READ MORE: How much alcohol is REALLY in your beer, wine and spirits By Chris Pollard Published: 11:52 EDT, 25 July 2024 | Updated: 11:59 EDT, 25 July 2024 e-mail View comments Brits are among the heaviest drinkers in Europe, new data shows — with men sinking more than three times as much as women. Men get through 850 pints of beer each year, while women drink the equivalent of 327 glasses of wine. Britain ranks 18th out of 51 European nations for its boozing, with people drinking 2.
9 units (23.5g of pure alcohol) on average each day, or 20.3 units per week — the same as 10 pints of beer or 13 glasses of wine.
This is far above the NHS guidelines which state adults shouldn't drink more than 14 units per week on a regular basis. The new World Health Organization (WHO) figures show Europeans are the biggest boozers in the world, consuming 9.2 litres of pure alcohol (equivalent to 460 pints) every year on average.
That compares to an international average of 5.5 litres (275 pints) per person. Europe's heaviest drinkers are in Romania , where men manage to sink the equivalent of 1,365 pints a year and women quaff 500 glass of wine.
Your browser does not support iframes. British men drink equivalent of 850 pints of 3.6% beer per year, data shows Women in the UK consume the equivalent of 327 small glasses of wine each year, according to the WHO figures The Romanians drink 4.
6 units of alcohol per day (36.9g of pure alcohol), equivalent to almost two and half pints or three glasses of wine. In contrast, Turkey was found to drink the least.
The predominantly Muslim country has increased alcohol taxes and limited the availability of tipples, with many residents abstaing for religious reasons. Italy, known for its love of food and wine, was surprisingly modest. The people there drink the annual equivalent of 635 beers or 233 glasses of wine.
And Albania, one of the top countries worldwide for cannabis cultivation according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, drinks even less. Its citizens consume just 420 beers or 127 glasses of wine a year. It comes after separate data showed alcohol-related deaths are soaring in the UK, mainly from damage to the liver and other organs.
Read More Zero-alcohol tipples could act as a gateway to the real thing for youngsters, research suggests Dr Gauden Galea, special health adviser to the WHO director for Europe, said: 'When we look at the latest global status report on alcohol, one of the WHO regions stands out. 'The European region continues to hold the unenviable record of having the highest levels of alcohol consumption and related harms worldwide, as well as the lowest number of abstainers. 'The harms from alcohol can be devastating to health and wellbeing and reach far beyond the person drinking to include domestic violence, injuries, accidents, family break-ups, and mental health.
'Countries need to make a strong push towards implementing the policies we know are effective in reducing alcohol consumption.' Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes.
Your browser does not support iframes. According to the WHO figures, which relate to 2019, British men drink the equivalent of 17 litres of pure alcohol per year, while women consume less than a third at 4.9 litres.
One unit is equal to 10ml of pure alcohol, about half a pint. A small glass of wine, 1.5 units, contains about 15ml of pure alcohol.
A pint of 3.6 per cent-strength beer has two units, but high-strength lagers and IPAs will contain considerably more per glass. Europe-wide, men consumed almost four times more pure alcohol (14.
9 litres) than women (4.0 litres) per year. The WHO said there 'has been little or no progress' on reducing alcohol use in line with its goal to cut consumption by 10 per cent.
Its data shows there were more than 470 million drinkers in Europe in 2019, meaning two out of three adults consumed alcohol. One in 10 adults in the region are estimated to have an alcohol use disorder, and almost one in 20 live with alcohol dependence. The current drink-drive limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.
Malta is the only other European country to have a limit this high, with Scotland and much of Europe setting a level of 50milligrams. Some nations set the bar even lower Despite these alarming statistics, only 12 out of 53 countries have made significant progress towards reducing the amount they drink. Dr Carina Ferreira-Borges, alcohol adviser to the WHO, said: 'The high levels of alcohol consumption and the associated harms in Europe are a clear indication that we are not doing enough.
'We are paying a heavy price for our inaction, with alcohol causing hundreds of thousands cardiovascular diseases and injuries, cancers and liver cirrhosis in our region.' Alcohol is a leading cause of death in Europe and is behind almost 800,000 deaths every year — 9 per cent of all deaths in the region. Every day, around 2,200 Europeans die from alcohol-related causes, mainly from heart disease and cancer linked to boozing.
Read More Alcohol-related deaths soar to an all-time high in wake of Covid - fuelled by 'concerning' uptick in middle-aged women According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), alcohol is one of the top 'Group 1' cancer-causing agents in the world. The WHO has controversially recommended countries increase alcohol taxes, restrict its marketing and reduce availability to reduce deaths. A project in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia showed that people consumed less alcohol and people lived longer after alcohol control policies were implemented.
Dr Galea said: 'We have the tools and the knowledge to reduce alcohol consumption and related harms. What we need now is the political will to implement these evidence-based policies. 'We must accelerate our efforts and commit to the necessary changes to protect the health and well-being of our populations.
' Deaths from alcohol have been rising in the UK for decades, but they shot up in March 2020 after the first national lockdown came into force, and got progressively worse. Office for National Statistics data, which does not include 'alcohol-linked' diseases like cancer, showed that most deaths are related to long-term drinking problems and dependency — with alcoholic liver disease making up 76 per cent of cases. In 2022, more than 500 died from accidental or intentional alcohol poisoning.
DO YOU DRINK TOO MUCH ALCOHOL? THE 10 QUESTIONS THAT REVEAL YOUR RISK One screening tool used widely by medical professionals is the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Tests). Developed in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, the 10-question test is considered to be the gold standard in helping to determine if someone has alcohol abuse problems. The test has been reproduced here with permission from the WHO.
To complete it, answer each question and note down the corresponding score. YOUR SCORE: 0-7: You are within the sensible drinking range and have a low risk of alcohol-related problems. Over 8: Indicate harmful or hazardous drinking.
8-15: Medium level of risk. Drinking at your current level puts you at risk of developing problems with your health and life in general, such as work and relationships. Consider cutting down (see below for tips).
16-19: Higher risk of complications from alcohol. Cutting back on your own may be difficult at this level, as you may be dependent, so you may need professional help from your GP and/or a counsellor. 20 and over: Possible dependence.
Your drinking is already causing you problems, and you could very well be dependent. You should definitely consider stopping gradually or at least reduce your drinking. You should seek professional help to ascertain the level of your dependence and the safest way to withdraw from alcohol.
Severe dependence may need medically assisted withdrawal, or detox, in a hospital or a specialist clinic. This is due to the likelihood of severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the first 48 hours needing specialist treatment. Share or comment on this article: Boozy Britain: Europeans now drink the equivalent of 460 beers per year, here our fascinating map shows how the UK compares e-mail Add comment.
