Older generations drink more than the younger generations in Norway

Drinking red wine. Photo: pixabay.com

20-year-olds in Norway state that they on average drink alcohol 33 times a year while 60-year-olds say they drink 53 times, but they drink less at a time.

 

These figures come from a survey the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI), “Alcohol in Norway”. These figures are based on a self-reporting survey sent out to the population in 2017. The new figures differ slightly from previous years, the 60-year-olds in 2016 reported that they drank 57 times a year on average while 20-year-olds said 28 times. This has thus gone down to 53 times for the elderly and up to 34 times for the youngsters.

“Older people drink are more often than the younger, but they drink less amounts at a time, and they have a less risky drinking pattern,” says Elin K. Bye, researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

Younger people drink themselves drunk more often on weekends, a drinking pattern that is associated with more alcohol-related injuries. At the same time, an even intake of alcohol over time is harmful. Alcohol consumption has one of the most highest risk factors for health loss in the population, and the risk increases with total amount of consumption. Bye points out to NTB that more attention needs to be paid to older people and alcohol.

Withstand less
Older people drink more on weekdays, and mainly drink wine. Over the past decades, a drinking culture has evolved in a society of good economy, where alcohol is a natural part of many occasions. A glass of wine before, during and after dinner, on vacation, holidays, for everyday and parties. For people who do not have to work the day after, it is easy to have an extra glass from their box of wine.

“Drinking has become very liberalized through the media, enjoying a glass of wine is presented as socially acceptable and even healthy. But the total of amounts of consumption of drinking two glasses of wine every day is a lot especially if you are older,” says Bye.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today