Are people in Europe drinking too much alcohol?
Alcohol sales are rising in the UK while the French and Germans are buying less, according to a report by Mintel.
Research carried out over five years showed that some 88% of Britons drank alcohol in the last year, ahead of the French at 86% and the Germans at 70% although the French consumed more wine.
Beer sales also fell in Germany and France, while the UK market remained stable.
Are Europeans drinking too much alcohol? What action should be taken to tackle binge drinking?
This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.
The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:
 |  Coming from Canada, the drinking culture in Finland is still a real shock for me |
Come to Finland and see how much people drink every day. And it is not limited to adults, media reports have pointed to teens in Finland, who are drinking more now than they ever did. They also touched on how more Finnish women are drinking and dying from alcohol-related diseases and accidents than ever before. Coming from Canada, the drinking culture in Finland is still a real shock for me.
Carmen, Espoo, Finland I don't believe people in Europe drink too much, only people in the UK. The UK has a serious binge drink problem that must be corrected.
Barbara, Birmingham, UK
To change anything, strong measures are needed. Anyone purchasing alcohol should be made to show their ID, and persistent binge-drinkers should be issued with special stamps by police in their ID banning them from buying alcohol?
Stan, Norwich
The focus seems to be on drinking in bars but I believe that the amount of drinking in the home has risen most. I'm shocked when I see supermarket baskets filled with bottles of wine and cases of lager. Alcohol should not be sold off shop shelves. This would solve many problems including underage drinkers in the street. Many children are growing up watching their parents drink at home as if it is a normal activity. They will end up doing the same.
J Wright, Newcastle upon Tyne
It's a sad state of affairs when the main weekend occupation in the UK seems to be getting drunk. Is there really nothing better to do? Or is it all just an excuse which people can use to indulge in violent behaviour?
Chris Dennison, Valencia, Spain
| There seems to be a correlation between heavier drinking the further north you go |
The effect of the weather on peoples' mood and drinking habits cannot be ruled out. The heaviest drinkers tend to be found in Scandinavia and Russia so there seems to be a correlation between heavier drinking the further north you go and the corresponding lack of daylight - a major cause of depression.
Karl, Leeds Yes, as an alcohol worker and drinker, I agree we as a culture are drinking too much. I don't think that we can change the amount people feel they need to drink, but we can change the culture of the late night environment. More cafes, poetry reading, artists etc this will bring out a different mix of people, and introduce another form of entertainment for the young, eg students.
Jane, Weymouth
The problem is made very much worse by the type of alcohol that people drink. Alcopops, Red Bull and vodka, rum etc are all designed to be drunk very quickly and in huge quantities. Beer and wine simply don't have the same effect on people.
Hans Stiles, Chessington, England
I think the problem lies with towns and cities outside London. I live in London and the West End is not full of drunken people because the drinks are too expensive and people live farther away from it. Small towns and cities with jus one city centre suffer because drinks are cheap and there is no alternative.
Brenda, London
How come everything we do nowadays is used for research, we smoke too much, eat too much, and drink too much. Please just leave us alone. We are in charge of our lives, we work hard, pay taxes so surely we are entitled to some enjoyment?
Darren Drummond, Whitburn, West Lothian Booze is bad for you regardless whether it is consumed with food or by the bucket. Any stupefying agent which robs you of your consciousness is a step down the ladder of evolution. Urgent action is required for this worldwide problem.
Mike, Croydon
I'm a French national working in Ireland and I have been told by colleagues that "I had to get a life" because I told them that I'm not getting "wasted" at weekends. Another person told me that he doesn't take more than a week's holiday because "after a week you get sick of drinking". How pathetic.
Julien, Ireland
I was at university in Canada, and I'll confess that students there were just as bad with excessive drinking (especially during winter). However, it seemed to be that it got it out of everyone's system while they were young, because it was very rare to see older people (ie 24 and up) getting extraordinarily drunk.
Evan, Ashtead, UK
| Later closing hours would certainly help |
Having moved from Glasgow to the delights of Montreal I can honestly say that UK folks don't really drink much more than their Canadian counterparts. However what is different is that city centres in the UK aren't residential like Montreal or a lot of European cities. As such we don't have the all ages feel and the city centre caters for a particular need - boozers. Later closing hours would certainly help though, 11.00 rush to clubs and then the 3.00am rush to cabs are recipes for disaster.
Jamie, Montreal, Canada Enforcing the law as it is would be a good start (although very difficult for the police to begin with as it is so widely flouted.) Under age drinking, drunken driving and general public drunkenness should all be attacked - and after warnings, examples made. In addition, offenders convicted of alcohol related offences could receive a ban on alcohol consumption, with stiff penalties for re-offending or trying to obtain alcohol - including lifetime bans.
Edwood, Malvern UK
The problem is not the amount people drink - it's the way they drink it. In France and Germany it's customary to have a beer or a wine when you go out for a meal or sit in a caf� and just relax with some friends. Alcohol consumption in the UK is not much higher, but what people in Europe drink over the course of a week is usually drunk by many Brits in a single night - usually Thursday or Friday night.
Darryl LeCount, Paderborn, Germany
People are crazy if they think Brits will adopt the Mediterranean drinking culture. My first office job was filled with people whose highlight to the week would be to get 'smashed' at weekends then on Monday explain how sick they were. The pressure from colleagues to drink is enormous especially when networking and has stopped me socialising with my English colleagues. Brits just have to learn to loosen up without alcohol. It is possible to have a good time without it you know!
Jackie Henderson, Croydon Europeans may be drinkers but it's the Brits who do it to excess. Witness Thailand where they come in droves these days because a beer is mere pennies. Wearing their football clubs' shirts and spouting foul language...followed by the usual embarrassing vomit on the sidewalk. So it can't be an issue of price that leads to binge drinking. It's behavioural. And it seems endemic in the UK.
Stephen, Bangkok, Thailand
It rather seems like a return to the Good Old Days - in Victorian England, it was common in towns and cities to see large groups of people absolutely out of their minds with drink. Think of all those illustrations of gin palaces. What's the connection? Maybe it's longer working hours, the widening of the gap between rich and poor, an increasingly illiberal political atmosphere contributing, perhaps?
Kaz, Briton in NJ, USA
As an Irishman living in France who enjoys a drink, I have to say that the major difference here is the fact that the most amount of alcohol drunk here is done slowly and with food....as opposed to "lining the stomach and letting rip!!" The French still get drunk, just with a greater regard to tomorrow morning!
Davog, Lyon, France
My great-aunt is French by birth and has raised her family in the French traditions. They had wine with meals at home and gave watered-down wine to their children. Now they associate alcohol only with meals and don't drink to get drunk. Maybe this is an example we should be following?
Frank, Leeds, UK
| Maybe one day the tide will turn against excessive drinking, in a similar way to smoking has today? |
Drinking seems to be a part of both working life and social life here in England. At work there are various client functions which revolve around drinking and even going out with friends, the mindset tends to revolve around drinking. I tried abstaining from alcohol for more than 3 months and the amount of pressure I felt from both work colleagues and friends alike was huge. I can only imagine what peer pressure the youngsters feel. Maybe one day the tide will turn against excessive drinking, in a similar way to smoking has today?
Andrew, London Local friends of mine, avid watchers of Coronation Street, have pointed out to me that it's extremely unusual to see a scene in that show which doesn't put a drink in everyone's hand. They're right. While it's wrong to take one TV show as an illustration, it's still my general impression from that point and from reading BBC News on-line that the UK is packed to the rafters with heavy drinkers. And the prospect of extending the drinking hours there seems the height of folly. Stop worrying about the Europeans' drinking habits - worry about those in the UK first!
Stephen Moyse, Victoria, Vancouver Island. Canada
Drink has become a hidden problem in this country which adds to the burden of the already over-stretched National Health Service. My Father lives in a block of OAP in sheltered accommodation. Over 75% of these other tenants are drunks and cause a wide range of problems for all services such as Police, Fire and above all Ambulance Service. In the young it just goes to fuel this mob culture that we have developed all in all it should be banned or only sold in licensed premises!
Nigel, Southend-on-Sea. Essex
We're definitely drinking too much. I have one friend out of hundreds who is tee-total and the pressure on him to 'just have one' is very high. We put pressure on ourselves and each other to drink under the assumption that we can't have fun without it. It has become socially unacceptable not to drink.
Will, London, UK
| There is a national obsession with going out and getting drunk |
I definitely agree, especially here in Ireland. There is a national obsession with going out and getting drunk, and the problems for the wider society are simply massive - unwanted pregnancies, violence on streets, domestic violence, bad health, the list goes on and on. In order to solve this problem we need to really sit down and educate younger people about the entire area, otherwise the cycle will just start over again.
Peter, Dublin, Ireland I think that anyone who ends up in hospital as a result of drinking should pay for themselves or go to the bottom of the waiting list. The young cannot afford to live away from home so end up spending the money they do earn on booze at the weekend.
Mark, Bristol
People stop drinking when they have to, unless they have an addiction/dependency. I used to drink too much, but I no longer drink at all - my life style changed and I grew up. I have no problem with an empowered and educated population drinking to excess - so long as the safeguards are in place to ensure that they do not inflict themselves (through noise, violence, etc.) upon others. It's all good taxation that keeps my taxes down. More to the point it keeps the squash courts and cinemas free when I wish to use them and it keeps early mornings clearer. Something I have come to enjoy.
Martina, London
Drinking in Belgium and the Netherlands is a pleasant experience, because people are doing it to enjoy their beer or wine. Compare and contrast to here, where the objective seems to be to get it down your neck and get plastered as quickly as possible. This was borne out on trip to Prague in January - who were the only ones staggering around the streets after a bender? The Brits, of course...and don't tell me that a stag weekend is a good enough excuse! It isn't Europe, it's just us!
Simon Jackson, North Finchley, London N12
| Young people can't handle their booze |
We have always had a drinking culture in this country. What is different (or perhaps I'm getting old) is that more young people are getting drunk than when I was that age (I am 39), and it is clearly easier to get hold of alcohol, especially when a lot of alcohol advertising is aimed at younger people. Young people can't handle their booze, and there's not the social stigma there used to be about having one too many. The pubs encourage it, the advertising encourages it, and society turns a blind eye, so of course it's going to get out of hand.
Jacko, London 24 hour drinking is the answer. People will (finally) learn how much to drink and how to curb their drinking. It'll also split the usual Friday/ Saturday night traffic jams of drunken revellers fighting for taxis, kebabs and whatever else they can lay their hands on!
Martin
Anyone who has seen the programmes showing "ladies" lying on the street having just thrown up over themselves or young men fighting and spitting after a Friday night out can be in any doubt that we are creating for the future an alcohol problem similar to that in some Eastern European countries. Still obviously the government "knows best" as usual!
H. Knott, Stoke, Staffs
Just make drinking a sport. Then not only will we be European champions, lottery funding can be used to subsidise prices, and under-age drinking will simply be investing in the "grass roots".
Chris, London
I work for a large chain pub, and we are very strict on ID for the younger customers, but much of the problem lies with the old blokes. You start drinking as soon as we open our doors and stay for 5-6 pints throughout the day, almost every day.
Tom, Loughborough, UK
The incentive should be to drink every night, Binge drinking is incited by people staying in and then going crazy at the weekend. Bars should also look at affordable and preferably healthy bar snacks... this takes the focus off pure boozing and drinking on an empty stomach should not be advised. Keep the streets clean Kids!!
Daniel, Madrid
| Binge drinking needs to be tackled now |
No question about it, Brits are drinking way too much in comparison to other parts of the world. This is partly fuelled by the ever growing pub and bar culture sweeping across most the UK's towns and cities. Just take a look at most town centres on a Friday or Saturday night, full of drunken abusive yobs. Binge drinking needs to be tackled now as the youth of today just don't see the damage they are doing themselves as well as the rest of society.
Mem, Cambridge, England A yard of ale has been around for a very long time, so I doubt getting rid of that is the answer. I think drinks aimed at young people and drink promotions should be curbed personally. And better control on people serving under 18's in off licenses/bars and more persecutions to those who do.
Dave Wilson, Manchester
Don't know if this helps, but everyone I know who drinks too much alcohol doesn't do it for fun - they do it to blast out the raging killer stress and anxiety they are feeling!
Anon, Anon
I am 25 but now dislike going out as there are so many drunk people about and a lot of them are young kids. Plus there has been a large increase in violence which is definitely alcohol related. Us Brits should really cut down and sort ourselves out.
Mike McD, Bournemouth, Dorset
| Nothing else to do but drink constantly until closing |
The issue is the environment in which people drink. Most town centre bars are standing room only, no food and loud music. Nothing else to do but drink constantly until closing. Compare this with continental town centres where people combine their drinking with eating out, sitting down and talking with friends. The other aspect is that only young people want to go to the bars we have, so it is only young people out at night. On the continent all ages go out in the evening so the atmosphere is much better.
Nick, Reading, UK Yes I drink too much but I do eat well and exercise lots! Does that compensate? Maybe not. But drinking makes us happy that's why we all do it! The weather is lousy, you've got no girlfriend and your job is pointless and dull but beer is always there! However I do think we should focus on the quality of what we drink. I'm amazed when I see guys my age (27) drinking alcho-pops! They should be embarrassed!
James, London, UK
Put a few extra pence of tax on each unit of alcohol and use the extra revenue to put more police on the street around closing time. Also start fining pubs and bars that continue to serve people who are obviously drunk. If people stop getting served then that will be an incentive for them to pace their drinking a bit more.
Matt, UK
As one who has stepped over many of your countrymen while leaving pubs, I'd have to say the answer is yes. But drinking is such a part of British culture that I'm not sure much can be done about it.
Brian, Kansas City, USA
First it was smokers, now it's drinkers. Who is going to be next? Someone seems to be determined to take every pleasure out of life in this country.
Simon, Manchester, UK
To be honest the state of the world is reasonably depressing, why not live hedonistically and have a good time. I'm not sure if anyone else noticed that right after the 7th July bombings in London, the pubs were full of people celebrating being alive. That's quite nice really.
Michelle, London, England
| Nothing better than the happy atmosphere of a pub during all too frequent miserable weather |
Perhaps it's something to do with the weather being so cruel to us on these isles? Nothing better than the happy atmosphere of a pub during all too frequent miserable weather.
Eoin , Dublin, Ireland It was only been labelled binge drinking in the last 5 years at most. Before it was going out at the weekend for a drink. Our government seems too concerned with us all doing what they want, and not letting us do what we want. If we want to smoke, drink and eat excessively let us, you're taxing us for it so we should be able to do what we want. I've been working in we work some of the longest hours in Europe and when the weekend comes we just want to go out forget about work and enjoy ourselves.
Spencer, Surrey
I think that the culture has changed so that people find it natural to drink every night. I work with a guy who drinks a couple of bottles of wine a night and will think nothing of drink ten pints in a session. No-one points anything out to him as it's become the norm.
Cristiano De Grammini, Bournemouth Dorset
With greater disposable incomes and an increase in places to drink, it's no wonder that UK alcohol sales are increasing. I personally consider it a myth that we're the only country in Europe where the inhabitants drink to excess. We're more likely to simply be the most visible.
Mads, UK
The problem is the acceptance of drunks in our pubs and town centres. Not only should pubs and bars refuse to serve anyone who is drunk, but there should be zero tolerance for people being obviously drunk on the street, whether they are causing trouble or not. A few nights in the cells might make people think about ways to enjoy themselves that don't involve drinking until they are unconscious.
Dominic Tristram, Bath, UK
Yep, they certainly are. I'm all for a few pints on an evening, but every time I go out for a night on the town I see men and women (and some boys and girls) paralytic before 9pm. Too many people go out drinking with the sole intention of getting as drunk as possible. A programme of education should be put together to tackle the causes of this desire to get 'slaughtered'. Whether it is drowning sorrows, proving masculinity, escapism or some other trigger, we surely can't go on like this. It may be too late for a lot of people to change, but let's get some work done in the schools and catch the next generation of binge-drinkers before they have a chance to develop.
Phil, Peterborough, UK
| Relax bar hours and control the binge offers |
If we are totally honest then as a nation, yes we do drink too much. Binge drinking is commonplace but a lot of the trouble is caused by the fact at closing time every drinker is released from all the bars at the same time to get the same few buses, taxis and burger vans. In mainstream Europe where bar hours are relaxed the mass exodus does not occur and people have settled into their own routine. There is far less trouble on the streets. Relax bar hours and control the binge offers, which admittedly is never an easy thing to do.
John Gouch, Southampton I don't know what it is about people in this country and why they think a good night out is getting drunk. They go out simply to get drunk, well surely you could do that at home, it's probably safer and cheaper. The whole attitude of people towards drink has to change. personally I don't have time for drunks, they stink, the vomit, they fall over and you have to pick them up, they cause mayhem in city centres distracting the police, which we pay for with our council tax, from protecting us at night from burglars and other criminals.
Horace, Leeds
It becomes such a habit that in the past I couldn't imagine going out without having without having a drink or two or three. Now at 3 months pregnant, not drinking and still having a good night out is a revelation!
Sarah, UK
The UK youth are drinking far too much. Raise the legal age to 21 and severely punish those who breach this rule.
Keith, UK
I think people drank far more in the 1970's and 1980's. Back then it wasn't uncommon for us to go to the pub at lunchtime and after work and then again in the evenings. Binge drinking is nothing new, it's just more visible and concentrated, mainly due to the enforcement of drink drive laws.
Matt Munro, Bristol, UK
| Once the hours extend the culture will get worse for a short while and steadily improve |
Of course we drink too much. This is largely down to a tradition of drinking as quickly as possible to beat the 11pm cut off point. Once the hours extend the culture will get worse for a short while and steadily improve as we will have a framework within which a new culture can grow. If you treat people like adults they will be more inclined to behave like adults.
James, Brighton, England How much is too much, really? Does anyone else think this 21/28 units a week thing is actually quite low?
James, Cheltenham, UK
I think the high level of alcohol consumption in Britain is a symptom of greater problems. It's no coincidence that Britain also has some of the worst working conditions and longest working hours in Europe. Britons are increasingly trying to cram their leisure time into smaller and smaller periods. It's no wonder that binge drinking is on the increase.
Danny Hughes, Lancaster, UK
I probably drink too much - a bottle of wine most evenings with my husband. I don't binge but keep a steady level up so probably that's just as bad? Stressful jobs and the need to wind down after a hard day is my feeble self-justification.
Marie, Surrey, UK
I work as a waiter in a pub and I think that people are drinking to much alcohol in Spain. I believe that people drink so much because they need forget the reality, they need to disconnect for one moment. I think that the actual world is a hard place to live (too many pressures, too much stress, too much suffering) and for these reasons I think that we should change many of our actual axioms to avoid people drinking or taking drugs.
Jorge Sanz Garcia, Almazan, Spain
| I certainly think people in Ireland drink too much |
I certainly think people in Ireland drink too much. Life for many seems to revolve around going out and getting drunk at the weekend. The rest of the week is just waiting to go out drinking again. It's the attitude of the whole of society that needs to change here and that is going to be very difficult.
Fiona, Dublin, Ireland
I have read that younger people are also drinking more, and there has been an increase in alcohol related incidences where a young person has been hospitalised. Programmes like Club Reps glamorise British young people drinking aboard, so I really think it's about time that our drinking traditions need to change. Get rid of the yard of ale from pubs as a starter as this encourages excessive drinking.
James, Luton
Alcohol in the UK is used for celebration and fun nights out, especially by the young. Combine this with a strong economy in which the young have money to spare and aren't burdened by excessive taxation and of course you will see a rise in consumption. Compare this to Europe where alcohol is more often used as a complement to a meal and where the economy is in a more difficult state and a fall in consumption there is also logical.
Thomas Bloxham, Birmingham
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