It’s a study that makes the front page of all British press sites. On April 25, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report surveying the consumption of alcohol, cigarettes and electronic cigarettes among a sample of 280,000 young people, in 44 countries, between 2021 and 2022.
When it comes to the consumption of alcoholic beverages, England occupies an somewhat glorious first place. In the British nation, one in three 11-year-olds and half of 13-year-olds have already consumed alcohol, “which represents the highest rate of alcohol consumption among the countries examined” by the organization, summary The Times.
In detail, by the age of 13, 50% of English people had already drunk. This figure rises to 57% for girls. “British teenage girls are more likely to drink, vape or smoke than boys, a sign of a deterioration in young girls’ mental health since the pandemic, researchers say,” reports the London daily.
Alarming observation
A situation which worries because, even compared to countries considered to have a drinking culture, British consumption remains high, says the newspaper. “At the age of 11, twice as many English women as French women have already consumed alcohol”, note for example The Times.
Experts note that it is children from wealthy households who are most likely to drink, having the means to afford alcohol and replicating their parents’ behaviors.
And the context does not lend itself to optimism. “Researchers point to an evolution ‘disturbing’. After the decline observed among previous generations, alcohol consumption is starting to rise again. gets alarmed The Daily Telegraph.
In France, the percentage of young people having already consumed alcohol at the age of 11 is 17% for girls and 25% for boys, i.e. the 12e ranking position. But France’s level in this scale rises with age because, at 13, 41% of French women and 49% of French men have already drunk, placing the country in 7th place.e place.