Hungarian youth the heaviest drinkers in Europe?!

The World Health Organisation has recently published a study about drinking trends in 36 European countries – reports The Telegraph. Hungarians finished on the very top of the list, with 41.2% of 15-year-old Hungarian boys admitting that they have been drunk more than twice in their life.

The study was carried out by the Scottish University of St Andrews, and it analysed the drinking habits of 15-year-old teenagers, between 2002 and 2014. Overall, it seems that the number of teenagers who admitted to being drunk at least twice in their life is decreasing in most countries. However, both Hungarian girls and boys are still in the top 3 of their respective lists, with Hungarian boys being in the absolute lead.

Over 33% of Hungarian girls aged 15 have been drunk at least twice – making them 3rd on the list. Denmark is in 1st place, with 37.6%, with Wales and Hungary following very close together. Germany, for example, where teenagers can legally get certain drinks already at age 14, as long as they are in the company of an adult, is in 16th place.

This means that over 10% more Hungarian teenage girls have experienced drunkenness at age 15 than German girls have.

Italy and Romania are close to the bottom of the list, with barely more than 10% of 15-year-old girls having been drunk more than twice, while Israel is in very last place, with only 5.4%.

Between 2002 and 2014, a drop can be seen among both Hungarian girls’ and boys’ alcohol-consuming habits. The drop is especially significant among boys, however, they still drink much more than girls had in 2002.

Contrary to the UK trend of boys becoming drunk less than girls, Hungarian boys are in the lead, with 41.2%. Lithuania, Croatia and Denmark follow close. Germany is steadily in the middle with boys as well, while this time it is Iceland at the very bottom, with just 5.7% of their 15-year-old boys having been drunk more than twice.

The decrease in the numbers comes when anxiety is prevalent, especially among teenage girls, and self-harm is still a pertinent issue. Unfortunately, social media does not help the case but only adds to the social anxiety a rising number of teens experience.

Chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance Professor Sir Ian Gilmore pointed out how young girls and women may fall victim to the increasingly aggressive advertisements especially aimed at females, urging them to drink more. This social pressure, the rising levels of anxiety and mental health issues in general may all be a factor in teenage girls turning to binge drinking, as a way of coping.

In case this article made you crave a drink, check out this autumn festival guide.

Photo: MTI

Source: telegraph.co.uk