Two out of three Italians have drunk at least one alcoholic drink (wine, beer or other alcohol) in the last year and over 8 million have had at least one risky drinking behaviour. More men (78%) than women (53.5%) drink alcohol. While remaining stable in quantities, alcohol consumption in Italy is however changing: less is being drunk every day, but more often between meals and in a concentrated manner, especially among young people.
How many Italians drink alcohol and how much do they drink?
According to WHO and OECD data, in Italy the average consumption of pure alcohol per capita, aged 15 and over, is 7.8 liters per year. A value lower than that of many European countries, but which hides strong differences in consumption behaviour.
More men (78%) than women (53.5%) drink alcohol and in the last 25 years there has been substantial stability in overall alcohol consumption (wine, beer, other alcohol at least once a year), equal to 71% in 1999 and 69% in 2023. However, the way of drinking has changed over time:
- Daily consumption: from 33% to 19%
- Occasional consumption: from 37% to 49%
- Consumption between meals: from 24% to 33%
This means that we have moved from a moderate and daily consumption of wine (the classic glass of wine with meals) to models more similar to those of Northern European countries, which no longer only concern wine, but also beer and spirits, often consumed between meals and concentrated on specific occasions such as at the weekend.
The daily consumption of alcoholic beverages affects men more than women, but the reduction is observed for both. Those between meals, however, show very similar trends by gender, but at higher levels for men.
What is the limit of moderate alcohol consumption?
In our country, exposure to alcohol causes approximately 39 thousand emergency room visits per year, with the main diagnosis being episodic alcohol abuse. In fact, alcohol consumption immediately creates psychomotor alterations which expose not only those who consume it but also the social context of reference to an increased risk. Drinking alcohol, in fact, increases the risk of being involved in road accidents, but also induces risky sexual behavior, accidents at work, episodes of violence, abandonment and the inability to build stable emotional bonds. Furthermore, in the long term, it is associated with the development of numerous chronic diseases and can be addictive.
The harmful effects of alcohol (immediate and chronic) depend on several factors:
- the amount of alcohol usually drunk (average daily consumption)
- the amount taken on a single occasion
- the methods and context of consumption
- individual characteristics (such as age, sex, pathological conditions).
If health risks can only be completely eliminated by totally abstaining from the consumption of alcoholic beverages, to define moderate consumption, health institutions rely on thresholds that involve modest health risks, such that they can be considered acceptable.
To define these thresholds, the alcohol unit (AU) is used as a reference, corresponding to 12 grams of pure alcohol. To concretely understand what this corresponds to, the formula is
(ml of alcoholic drink* % alcohol * 0.8)/100
Using this formula we can find that one unit of alcohol corresponds to approximately:
- 1 glass of wine (125 ml at 12°)
- 1 can of beer (330 ml at 4.5°)
- 1 small glass of liqueur (40 ml at 40°)
The moderate consumption thresholds are:
- Men between 18 and 65 years: max 2 AU on average per day, corresponding to 60 AU in the last month
- Women and Over 65: max 1 AU on average per day, corresponding to 30 AU in the last month
Exceeding these thresholds means entering into higher risk consumption, where the health risks increase considerably.
Who is most at risk?
The habit of getting drunk reaches its maximum peak at 20-24 years of age, where it fluctuates around 15% in all generations of those born between 1984 and 2004, and then decreases in subsequent ages and more men (21%) than women (9%) engage in risky behaviour.
Overall, more than 8 million Italians (18%) have a drinking pattern considered to be at greater risk. The highest risk consumption concerns 9% of adults binge drinking (i.e. they drink 5 or more AU on a single occasion for men and 4 or more AU for women), 10% instead consume alcohol exclusively or mainly between meals and 2% have a high habitual consumption (3 or more AU average daily for men and 2 or more AU for women). The territorial differences are marked, with the North East being the area with the highest concentration (19%), while the South is the lowest (12%).
However, the most alarming data concerns minors: between 11-17 years old, 15.7% have drunk at least once, even though the sale and administration of alcoholic beverages are prohibited up to the age of 18.
Worrying data also comes from the 48% of people with liver disease who said they had drunk in the last 30 days, as well as 10% of pregnant women and almost a quarter (22%) of breastfeeding women. Yet, only 7% of at-risk consumers report having been advised to drink less by a healthcare professional.
