“My name is Harriet Walker and I’m a binge drinker. I try to abstain every day, but when the weekend comes, I drink and drink.” As if she were at a gathering of not-so-anonymous alcoholics, the fashion editor of The Times has intoned MEA culpa after knowing that The British are world leaders in the world ranking of binge drinking (excessive consumption of alcohol in a single session).
Nana Akua, columnist of The Daily Mail: “My generation of women was the first to embrace the so-called culture ladette, exploiting the freedom to be able to work, play and drink as much as men. “We were kind of hungover feminists.”
Dr. John Britton, a professor at the University of Nottingham and an expert in addictions, ends up certifying it: “In other countries, alcohol is used as a lubricant for social interaction and for special occasions, not so much to end up crawling on the floor, as “It happens here. Too many people turn to alcohol at the end of a stressful day at work, when they should be looking for healthier alternatives.”
The culture of pub and of wine o’clock upon leaving work, the marketing aimed at women or the excessively affordable price of beer and wine in the supermarket are some of the causes pointed out by experts. And it is that 26% of British women admit to having consumed six or more alcoholic drinks in one sitting at least once a month, more than double the average of 12% among the 33 countries surveyed by the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development).
Only the Danish ones are on par with the British ones, followed by the Luxembourg ones and the German ones. Curiously, the United Kingdom It drops to 15th place in alcohol consumption per capita per year, with about ten liters, even below Spain, which occupies eleventh place. The big problem is the binge drinking, which also affects British men. Although the gender gap is still noticeable, the differences in excessive alcohol consumption are reduced among the very young and in the age group of 45 to 54 years.