We’ve all been there—an evening beer with friends, the occasional celebration, shots at a party on the weekend, or a glass or two while watching a movie before bed. If you don’t drink, be prepared for surprised looks from others, having to repeat “I really won’t have any,” or making up medical excuses to avoid clinking glasses with others over this social elixir.
World Health Organization surveys have long ranked the Czech Republic among the top countries in alcohol consumption (in 2005, we even ranked second in the world), and despite scientists’ efforts to highlight the negative effects of this substance, we continue to carry on as usual.
Alcohol is a huge part of our culture; we consider beer a defining characteristic of the Czech nation, and we’re proud of slivovitz and Moravian wines. Affordability certainly plays a role as well—researchers from American universities analysis of data found that lower prices for alcoholic beverages correlate positively with higher rates of alcohol abuse and related violence and crime. In the Czech Republic, alcohol is unprecedentedly cheap—for example, in survey conducted in 2016, Prague was named the cheapest major city in Europe when it comes to alcohol.
Drinking Like a Czech
In OECD statistics from 2017, the Czech Republic easily outperformed even the proverbial Denmark. While most countries (including Latvia and France, where alcohol consumption was higher than in the Czech Republic at the time) show downward trends in the graph over the past ten years, the Czech Republic’s annual average consumption trends have not changed drastically.
In the latest statistics from the World Health Organization (2018), the top two spots have changed (Lithuania first, Moldova second), followed by the Czech Republic with an annual consumption of 12.9 liters of pure alcohol per person (ages 15 and older). According to National Institute of Public Health, are permanent abstainers (3.7%) and moderate alcohol consumers (24.6%). The largest segment of the population consists of low-risk drinkers (53.2%), and the remaining 18.6% of the population (more than one million people) falls into the category of risky drinking. By “risky drinking,” we mean both individuals who abuse alcohol and those classified as “problem drinkers” and alcoholics.
The Scourge of Humanity
When we talk about “alcohol,” we are referring more specifically to ethanol, the most well-known member of the chemical group of alcohols. It is a psychoactive substance that has a euphoric effect in small doses and a sedative effect in larger amounts; in extremely high doses, it is toxic to the human body.
When alcohol is consumed, we first experience feelings of relaxation, increased self-confidence, and a better mood. As the night goes on and the drinks pile up, we notice a decline in fine motor skills, problems with balance, and blurred vision. At a blood alcohol concentration of between 0.25% and 0.4%, blackouts or complete loss of consciousness may occur; the heart rate slows, and vomiting sets in. The dangerous threshold varies from person to person, but generally, between 0.35 and 0.8 percent blood alcohol concentration, an individual falls into a coma, with respiratory and heart rates dangerously reduced, putting them at risk of death.
Every year, alcohol is responsible for a huge number of deaths – compared to other drugs—it poses by far the greatest risk to society. According to the World Health Organization, alcohol is the leading risk factor for premature mortality, accounting for 10% of deaths among people aged 15 to 49. Three million deaths in 2016 were related to harmful alcohol use—1.2 million people died from digestive and cardiovascular diseases, another 400,000 from cancer, and the remaining just under one million from injuries (accidents, self-harm, assaults).
But a small amount is healthy, so cheers! …or maybe not?
You’ve surely heard about the benefits of drinking small amounts of alcohol (up to 1 glass a day for women and 2 for men). Some studies have indeed shown a link between moderate drinking and better overall health—for example, here among diabetics with a healthy diet, there was a “modest” reduction in cardiometabolic risk, in this study, a reduced risk of developing diabetes was confirmed, in a British study, a lower incidence of kidney stones was observed among moderate drinkers…
However, more recent scientific articles suggest that the relationship between moderate drinking and health benefits may not be as rosy as once thought. In one New Zealand study, for example, the group of moderate drinkers showed better health than abstainers and heavy drinkers; after the researchers adjusted for variables related to the participants’ socioeconomic status in their analysis, the difference between the groups was nearly zero.
The authors also point out here that the conclusions of earlier studies suggesting a beneficial effect of alcohol on health often stemmed from flawed methodology —abstainers in the control group, against which the researchers compared their results, often did not drink alcohol for health reasons, which naturally led to a bias in the results.
When you think about it, it makes sense. Those who drink too much obviously cannot expect any positive health effects. At the other extreme, abstainers may have a wide variety of reasons for not drinking—for example, their health may prevent it, they may live in poverty, or they may have been addicted to alcohol in the past. Somewhere in the middle lies the ideal population—those who have been blessed with education and wealth, and can therefore more easily afford to live more moderately, take care of their health, and avoid spending time in dangerous environments.
“Essentially, it’s impossible to determine from much of this research whether moderate drinking contributes to health, or whether it’s simply because the segment of society that drinks moderately is wealthier and better off, which is why we have the impression that moderate drinking is good for us,” summarized Gideon M-K in article for The Guardian.
If you’re curious about which category of alcohol consumer you fall into—and whether you might need to change your habits—I recommend trying short and straightforward test on the Dry February campaign website.
