We’re hitting the bottom, but it’s for the best. According to the OECD list, Greece occupies the penultimate position in terms of alcohol consumption, recording the largest decline (-32%), second only to war-torn Ukraine. At the top, Latvia dethrones Britain, which is now somewhere in the middle of the rankings and leads with 12.1 liters of alcohol per adult during the year.

A report by the OECD and the European Health Commission compares the total amount of alcohol sold to people aged 15 and over across all European countries. After Latvia, the country that consumed the most alcohol in 2020 was the Czech Republic, where citizens drank an average of 11.6 liters per year. They were followed by Lithuania (11.4 liters), Austria (11.3 liters) and Bulgaria (11.2 liters).

However, Europe continues to drink heavily, as it has the highest per capita consumption in the world, with the problem being more severe in central and northern Europe and less so in the south, thanks to good weather. Eight of the ten countries with the highest levels of alcohol consumption in the world are in Europe. Doctors and health professionals, focusing on the consequences of alcohol consumption, note the fact that in the European Union about half of the cases of breast cancer in women and girls are associated with alcohol, even in cases of light or moderate use.

Alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning it is in the same category as arsenic, asbestos, and cigarettes. However, most people are not well aware of the many dangers that alcohol poses to their health.

All of you who drink water at feasts and at tables, when they tell you that drinking water is not good – according to mythology, the dead drank from the Liti River, which was in the Underworld – do not be sad at all. You lose in … “chin-chin”, but gain in years.