Alcohol: consumption in men, more frequent and larger

Men are more affected than women by excessive alcohol quantity and frequency of consumption, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Health.

The men loyal consumers

The average alcohol consumption of French continues its downward trend, being from 16.2 liters of alcohol in 1970 to 9.3 liters in 2003. This decrease followed the same rate between 2000 and 2005, both in terms of frequency and amount drunk. In fact, the number of daily drinkers was reduced by 27% among men and 34% among women. The number of drinks consumed daily, it rose from 2.5 in 2000 to 2.2 glasses five years later.

However, the importance of the average per capita alcohol consumption remains a French feature. Our country is still the 11th largest in the world behind Luxembourg, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Denmark and Austria.

Furthermore, men are three times more likely than women to have consumed alcohol every day during the 12 months preceding the survey (20.3% against 7.3% for women) and twice as many to have consumed alcohol several times a week (21.7% against 11.8%)The gap between men and women is also much greater in terms of quantities drunk: at the last opportunity to consume, men drank an average of 2.6 drinks a 1.8 against their female counterparts. Finally, the proportion of intoxication is three times higher among men (21.6% against 7.5% in women).

Drinking occasions too

Five million French are heavy alcohol drinkers. Such excess induces many medical risks, psychological and social.

Contrary to popular belief, consumption patterns seem relatively trivial because men drink primarily during meals (69.1% men and 62.3% of women consumed alcohol during lunch, respectively over 85 % and 80% during the dinner).

In addition, excessive consumption takes place mostly on the weekends, especially on Saturdays, usually at mealtimes at home, often with family and not mainly at night parties as one might think

Consumption thresholds at risk are the following: more than 2 drinks per day for women, more than 3 for men and more than four drinks for occasional consumption.

Second leading cause of preventable death

Alcohol is responsible for nearly a cancer deaths 9. The Institut Gustave Roussy estimated 45,000 deaths attributable to alcohol, making it the second leading cause of preventable death in our country, after tobacco.

On average, excessive alcohol consumption is responsible for 14% of male deaths (1 in 7 men) and 3% of female deaths (1 in 33). France and the fastest male mortality related to alcohol or 30% higher than the European average.

In addition to the deaths that are directly attributable to, alcohol acts as an associated factor in the onset of many diseases (cardiovascular, digestive, including neoplastic). It is also heavily involved in road accidents (28.6% of fatal accidents), the occurrence of certain mental disorders and violence.

Finally, it is estimated that alcohol is observed in 50% of fights, 50 to 60% of criminal acts, offenses and 20% of 10 to 20% of accidents involved.