Abuse of alcohol

As shown in the table below, in 1998, the consumption of alcohol in Russia was apparently between 30% and 100% higher than in other large countries in Europe. The numbers should, however, be used with some caution. First, it has not been possible to get estimates for the unrecorded consumption in all of the countries. And second, different methods of calculation and quantification have been used in connection with recorded and unrecorded consumption.

When it comes to problem drinkers (defined as excessive or risk drinkers), in 1998, Russia had, along with Italy and Poland, about twice as many as France and Germany. The United Kingdom had  remarkably few problem drinkers, while Spain had almost twice as many as Poland.

Alcohol consumption in 1998 and problem drinking in the largest European countries

Source:Data from “Alcohol in the European Region – consumption, harm and policies” by Nina Rehn, with Robin Room and Friffith Edwards. World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe, 2001