Britain top for 'binge drinking' says Global Drugs Survey 2019

The release of the latest Global Drug Survey has prompted various media stories reporting the UK as topping the table for drunkenness, with UK GDS respondents reporting getting drunk 51 times in the last year versus an average of 33 times for all countries in the survey.

The findings may provoke further debate about the UK's drinking culture - or its various aspects - despite significant falls in drinking and drunkenness amongst younger people. However, despite a 10% fall in overall consumption over the last three decades as recently reported in the Lancet, middle and older adult's drinking has yet to see falls, with warnings over cuts to services and absence of key policy measures repeatedly made by many health groups.

The GDS indicates drunkenness as highest amongst English-speaking countries, with the UK followed by the USA with an average of 50 occasions per year, then Canada at 48 times and at Australia 47 times. Respondents from South American countries reported getting drunk on the least number of occasions, with at Chile 16 times a year, Colombia and Germany tied at 22. Those who regretted getting drunk the most were women over 25 years from German-speaking countries, whilst 38% of all participants who drank alcohol in the last 12 months wanted to drink less next year.

In the latest GDS findings respondents rated alcohol bought in bars as the lowest value for money drug choice, with shop bought alcohol ranking mid-table. GDS 2019 also explored sexual assault, consent and drugs, reporting alcohol as involved in almost 90% of the cases, and was the only substance in 59% cases involving women and 48% involving men. A GDS post explores some of the findings including discussion about 'rape myths' and other dominant assumptions about sexual assault.

Implications for health messaging?

Quoted in The Guardian, Prof Adam Winstock, one of the GDS researchers, questioned the value of the 14 unit weekly guideline, posing; "Until culture changes and we become more European and moderate in our drinking, we might have to bite the bullet and think about how to advise people to get drunk drinking less.”

Winstock added, “We get told too much is bad, and it is, but current guidelines fail to accept the pleasure of intoxication and give little guide on the difference between being a little drunk and a lot drunk, and doing it three to four times a year versus weekly. We need to have that conversation."

However, whilst most might agree northern European countries may have an unhealthy tendency towards drunkenness, some counter that countries such as France, where a 'less but more often' drinking may be regarded as a healthier social culture, still have high levels of alcohol-related liver disease and dependency.

Certainly debate about the current guidelines and their role in guiding drinking behaviours is a regular policy topic. Yet whilst many will agree they may reflect the evidence about risk, there is further need to acknowledge their limitations, particularly in the broader context of influencing behaviours at large. NHS Scotland recently launched a new campaign to promote awareness whilst Public Health England came under fire last year for partnering with industry funded body Drinkaware for the Drink Free Days campaign.

GDS 2020: poly-drug use insights?

The GDS 2020 will launch later this year and is reported to focus on the intersection between alcohol and other drug use, the night time economy and public health policy. Indeed the latest GDS findings also highlight the high prevalence of cocaine use in the UK, with The Guardian reporting the number of hospital admissions in England for mental health disorders linked to cocaine use has almost trebled in the past decade.