Each Polish person consumed an average of 9.7 liters of pure alcohol between 2020 and 2021, according to the second edition of the “Alcohol in Poland” report by the state agency responsible for monitoring and coping with the effects of alcohol use (PARP).
While this alcohol intake is down by around 0.1 liter compared with 2019., experts are concerned about the type of alcoholic drinks being consumed. According to the author of the report, professor Andrzej Mariusz Fal, the model of Polish drinking is once again turning towards the use of spirits and a lower consumption of beer, a model associated more with Eastern countries like Belarus and Russia.
The reason why the total consumption of alcohol is down is due to an increased intake of non-alcoholic beers. As a result, the total market for alcoholic drinks fell by 1 percent in 2020 and by 3.9 percent in 2021. Professor Fal observes that while some social groups are drinking less alcohol, for others susceptible to binge drinking, it has actually risen.
According to the report, the consumption of spirits — including both lower-cost liquor like vodka and higher-cost options such as whiskey, gin, or rum — has risen to make up 39.2 percent of alcohol consumption. The consumption of wine is also rising, especially among women. Wine now makes up 8.3 percent of total alcohol consumption. Beer’s share of the market has fallen to 52.5 percent, the lowest level in 20 years. Back in 2012, beer accounted for 60 percent of total alcohol consumption.
On the upside, the report notes that over 19 percent now declare that they have not had any alcohol in the last 12 months or more, and among the young, it has become fashionable to follow the NoLo principle (no alcohol, low alcohol). However, 27 percent consumed 6 liters of alcohol per year and 11.6 percent are suffering from alcohol abuse.
