CONTEXT OF DAILY DRINKING IN 18 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES CONTEXT OF DAILY DRINKING IN 18 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. FINDINGS OF THE RARHA SEAS PROJECT Katarzyna Okulicz-Kozaryn1, Marta Zin-Sędek1, Sylwia Bedyńska2, Geir Scott Brunborg 3 1 State Agency for Prevention of Alcohol Related Problems (PARPA), Poland; 2 SWPS University, Poland; 3 Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Norway

Background The Joint Action on Reducing Alcohol Related Harm (RARHA) was coordinated by the Portuguese governmental agency SICAD It consisted of three core work packages (WPs), including WP4 – strengthening the monitoring of drinking patterns and alcohol related harm across EU countries. In a frame of the WP4 task 2 the epidemiological assessment of drinking patterns and harm across the EU was conducted. It covered different aspects of alcohol related problems: alcohol consumption, risky single occasion drinking, context of drinking, Attitudes toward alcohol policies unrecorded alcohol supply, individual harm, harm from others, socio-demographics.

Objective analyzing cross-national differences in the context of drinking among alcohol consumers who drink most frequently (almost daily).

Methods In 19 countries, 20 Standardized European Alcohol Surveys (SEAS) were conducted (N= 31.385). Questions on the context of drinking were asked in 18 surveys

alcohol drinking at least 5 days per week

Method The two-step cluster analysis - Exploratory statistical tool designed to identify clusters of similar cases adequate for not continuous variables Variables (5-point scales: never in the past year – almost daily) drinking with a meal, at home, in pub/bar, with family, with friends, alone Results displayed separately for each site No fixed number of clusters

Italy Family drinkers – most often drink daily at home, with meals and with family members; rarely – alone Social drinkers – often drink at home but also in a pub/bar restaurant, in company of family members and/or friends; rarely - alone

Croatia

Greece

Spain

Portugal ! Social drinkers – drink more often than in Croatia, Greece, Italy and Spain

Spain - Catalonia

Denmark Family drinkers – most often drink daily at home, with meals and with family members; rarely – alone Mix drinkers – most often drink at home but also in pubs/bars, etc., in different social situations; also alone

Norway

Sweden

Estonia Mix drinkers – drink at home but also in pubs/bars, in different social situations but also alone Solitary drinkers – most often drink alone at home, sometimes with a meal and/or in company of family members

UK Mix drinkers – drink at home but also in pubs/bars, in different social situations but also alone Private drinkers – most often drink at home, usually with meals, often with friends, family members or alone; rarely in pubs/bars

Hungary Moderate social drinkers – most often drink at home but also in social situations but rarely in pubs/bars, etc.

Poland Private drinkers – do not drink in pubs, bars, restaurants, clubs

Romania

Bulgaria Mix drinkers – drink at home but also in pubs/bars, in different social situations but also alone

France

Cluster of almost daily drinkers across survey sites

Almost daily drinkers

Conclusions Most prevalent across EU is frequent drinking at home, with meals and in company of family members (family drinking) observed in all but four countries (Romania, Poland, UK and Estonia). Social drinking is typical for Southern countries, while in Northern Europe drinking in social situations co-occurs with drinking alone (mix drinking).