ZURICH, SWITZERLAND / AMONG THE VINES – Young Swiss men’s favourite drink is beer, and binge and “volume” drinkers are more likely to have traffic accidents and to get into brawls, a new survey shows. A survey of 5,400 men with an average age of 20 in Switzerland, carried out by the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Zurich and Lausanne University Hospitals (Chuv) indicates that “the binge and volume drinkers tend to consume other substances and become involved in accidents, arguments or brawls.”
The survey, part of efforts to track young men’s substance consumption habits over the long-term, covered 21 Swiss cantons. Researchers found that “just under a third of young Swiss men prefer beer when they drink alcohol, taking in at least two thirds of their alcohol consumption in the form of the beverage. Far fewer (around five percent) prefer wine.”
21 drinks or 6 beers at a time: binge-drinking
The Zurich researchers, in a statement issued 12 August, note:
“They drink six or more alcoholic drinks at one occasion at least once a month, for instance, which is classed as binge-drinking, or consume at least 21 alcoholic drinks a week. These beer-drinkers also smoke more frequently on a daily basis than those without a preference for a particular drink, use cannabis more than once a week or have tried at least one other illicit substance in the last 12 months. By contrast, men who prefer wine consume substances in greater moderation.
There are various possible explanations as to why a preference for beer among young men goes hand in hand with riskier drinking patterns and the consumption of illicit substances. ‘Beer is comparatively cheap, which means young people can also afford it. And beer tends to be more popular at events such as parties or concerts, where risky consumption behavior is widespread,’ says Meichun Mohler-Kuo, a lecturer at the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine.”
The binge-drinkers tended to have consumed other illegal substances “at least once in the last 12 months and experience negative alcohol-related consequences, such as accidents, arguments, brawls, unprotected sex, blackouts, damage to property or conflicts with the police or other authorities, more frequently”. Mohler-Kuo argues that “the aim of preventive measures should still be to reduce risky alcohol consumption among young men.”