How do the French consume alcohol?

15.02.2020

In a study published by Santé Publique France, we discovered the drinking habits of the French. We reveal some data in our article.

France is one of the countries that consumes the most alcohol in the world. In fact, it ranks sixth among the 34 OECD countries. However, alcohol consumption in this country has decreased considerably since the 1960s. Especially because of the daily decrease in wine consumption.

Key figures

-11.7 litres per year per person aged 15 and over

-87% of people aged 18-75 consume alcohol at least once a year

-26% of people aged 65-75 declare to consume alcohol daily

1. Alcohol consumption varies from region to region

Daily alcohol consumption in France varies from region to region and depends mainly on the type of alcohol: wine, beer, hard liquor, other types of alcohol. In the north and north-east of metropolitan France, they mainly consume beer; in the south they prefer wine and in the west strong and other types of alcohol.

2. Consumption habits in each region

Daily alcohol consumption concerns, depending on the region, 7.1% to 12.6% of adults. We take this data into account that the national average is 10.0%. But there are regions that exceed this figure, such as Occitanie (12.3%) and Nouvelle Aquitaine (12.6%), while the lowest consumption is in Ile-de-France.

For moderate consumption

The report also includes a section that lists programs that fight alcohol harm. Alcohol consumption is a major health determinant and one of the top three causes of death.

Develop new benchmarks: Santé Publique France and the National Cancer Institute built a list of benchmarks for lower-risk consumption, for example: consume a maximum of 10 drinks per week, a maximum of two drinks per day, and no consumption days in the week.
Specific actions for different audiences: Santé Publique also carries out specific actions around pregnant women and young people. Since 2015, every year in September, they mobilize around consumption during pregnancy to make pregnant women and their environment understand and assimilate Santé Publique’s message: “As a precaution: zero alcohol during pregnancy”. They also carry out campaigns on social networks for young people, who are particularly affected by the “binge-drinking phenomenon”. One of these is “Amis aussi la nuit”, which focuses on reinforcing protective behaviour among peers.
A remote assistance system: this remote assistance system offers the people involved and their environment a confidential listening space thanks to a telephone line, as well as a chat room run by qualified professionals. They also have a website alcool-info-service.fr.

Don’t Drink and Drive!

It takes approximately six hours after drinking for the body to completely eliminate alcohol from its system with a BAC level of .08 g/dL.
A driver with a BAC of .08 g/dL is 11 times more likely to be in a fatal accident than a driver who has consumed no alcohol.
Approximately 75% of fatal crashes occurring between midnight and 3am involve alcohol.
Additionally, there are spikes in DUIs at 7:00 p.m. and 3:00pm, which are the end of happy hour and lunch time, respectively.
Nearly 75% of drunk drivers involved in fatal collisions are not wearing their safety belts.
Girls ! Know that men and women metabolize alcohol differently.
Drunk driving is most frequently committed on the weekends. Enjoy responsibly !