Epidemiological data on alcohol use in Greece
TERZIDOU M.,¹ SIAMOU I^2
1Psychologist, MP hil
²Sociologist

The study aims to present the main findings of recent epidemiological surveys on alcohol use in Greece as well as data on alcohol addicts approaching treatment programmes. Data shows that alcohol use prevails among males compared to females. In fact, 76.9% males versus 54.6% for females drank alcohol at least once during the last 30 days. The highest increase of frequent alcohol use (>=10 times during the last 30 days) among age groups was observed for both genders between adolescents (12-17 years) (4.7% and 1.2% respectively) and young adults (18-24 years) (35.7% and 17.9% respectively). Individuals aged 18-24 years reported the highest percentages of drunkenness during the last month for both genders (33.5% and 18.7% respectively). The majority of Greeks aged 12-64 years (62.6%) reported that they drank alcohol in recreational settings (club/bar/restaurant/cafe) while 31.9% at home. The main problems that people experienced because of alcohol use were: a) mood swings (11.7%), b) "doing something that they later regretted" (9.2%) and c) "having difficulty in thinking clearly" (8.2%). The highest figures of experiencing problems because of alcohol use were found in young people aged 18-24 years (31%) followed by individuals aged 25-35 years (20.7%). One out of six people (16.4%) reported that they drove a car under the influence of alcohol (>=3 glasses of alcohol in one session). A downward trend as regards alcohol use was observed since 1998 (frequent use of alcohol: 32.9% in 1984, 32.2% in 1998 and 26.8% in 2004). On the other hand, the rates of drunkenness tend to increase between 1998 and 2004 (11.7% and 12.2% respectively). Regarding alcohol use among adolescents aged 14-18 years, 15.9% reported that they drank alcohol systematically (at least twice per week). Binge drinking (>=5 drinks in a row >=3 times during the last 30 days) was reported by 13.2% of adolescents. Boys outnumber girls in binge drinking (17.3% και 9.3% respectively). Higher percentages of binge drinking were found among adolescents aged 17-18 years (20.2%) compared to younger ones (14 years: 7.5%, 15-16 years: 11.9%). 12.4% reported that they got drunk at least 3 times during the last year. The highest percentages of drunkenness were observed in boys (15.1%) and adolescents aged 17-18 years (19.7%). Regarding frequent consumption (>=3 times during the last 30 days) of different kinds of beverages, spirits were the first choice of adolescents as 35.9% reported this. Their second and third choice is related to beer (26.5%) and wine (22.3%) consumption. The phenomenon of alcohol use among adolescents remains stable with slight fluctuations between 1984 and 2003 (drinking alcohol systematically: >=6 times during 30 last days: 29% in 1984, 30.8% in 1993, 24.8% in 1998, 28.2% in 2003). On the other hand, an upward trend of drunkenness was observed in student population especially between 1998 and 2003 (9.2% in 1993, 10.9% in 1998, and 12.4% in 2003). The main social-demographic characteristics of alcohol addicts approaching treatment programmes within 2006 are the following: The majority (72.9%) were males, 52.9% belonged to the age group of 36-50 years, 61.2% had a medium or high educational level and 54.6% a permanent job.

In conclusion, significant differences are observed among genders as regards alcohol use. Higher percentages of drunkenness appear to be among young adults aged 18-24 years compared to other age groups. An upward trend related to drunkenness is found in general and school population since 1998. Compared to other EU countries, Greece is one of the countries which reports high percentages of consumption of alcoholic beverages during lunches. Moreover, although the prevalence rates of alcohol use among students aged 14-18 years are high, Greek students reported low rates as regards binge drinking and drunkenness incidents. Specialised prevention interventions for adolescents and young people should be part of the policy aiming at harm reduction of alcohol use and its consequences (Kokkevi et al. 2007). Encephalos 2009, 46(2):57-63.

Key words: Alcohol use, drunkenness, trends, general population, student population, alcohol addicts.