From youthful nights fueled by endless rounds to the creeping unease of hangovers that hit harder with age, alcohol has long been a fixture in social life for many. But as new generations redefine their priorities and scientific understanding of alcohol’s effects evolves, is our relationship with this age-old substance on the cusp of a significant shift?
Drunken nights out with friends, in clubs, bars, restaurants, and homes. Countless shots and cocktails or endless tsipouro and wine sessions during student nights. Many, if not most of us belonging to the Millennial generation and those before, carry such memories from the 90s and 00s. Some of us may still indulge in two, three, or more drinks, although probably not as often as in the past, because we can’t handle the hangovers anymore.
If we’re older than Generation Z, our relationship with alcohol has likely been long term, non-negotiable, and sometimes passionate. However, something seems to be changing in recent years.
While doctors and researchers warn, according to new data coming into their hands, that its dangers are greater than we already know—linking it, among other things, to various forms of cancer—the younger generations are setting their limits in this relationship or even declaring, “We’re breaking up.”
January is no longer just the first month of the year but Dry January, as a globally widespread campaign of abstaining from alcoholic beverages for at least 31 days is called. The consumption of mocktails, “virgin” cocktails, follows an upward trend internationally. Bars and clubs that serve juices or suggest replacing alcohol with meditation are springing up in the largest and most informed cities in the world. Statistics—including Greek ones—do, indeed, show a decrease in alcohol consumption.
So, is alcohol going out of fashion? We have decided to investigate this question, after all these developments, turning to scientists, writers, and members of Generation Z. What did we discover? If we focus on the details, the answer is not simple and differs not only from generation to generation but even between genders. And that even some who have limited it may be replacing it with other psychotropic substances.
What is happening with its consumption in Greece and internationally? We spoke with: Elena Karageorgiou, clinical-social psychologist and author; Antonios Dakanalis, Professor of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy; Giouli Psarraki, certified Alcohol Freedom Coach and author.
Is it true that we are drinking less alcohol? The statistics
Antonios Dakanalis, Professor of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Bicocca in Milan, invites us to look at the big picture through the statistics of the World Health Organization: “These data for Greece show a clear downward trend from 2000 to 2020, which is the latest recording.
Indicatively, the consumption of men in 2000 was 13.6 liters of pure alcohol per person per year, and in 2020, it fell to 9.3 liters. For women, the corresponding amounts were 3.9 liters in 2000 and 2.5 liters in 2020. It is important to mention that alcohol consumption in Greece is among the lowest in the European Union. 6% of the population in Greece has gotten heavily drunk at least once a month, while the average for the EU is 19%.”
Younger ages tend to drink less, according to Eurostat data cited by the specialist. “Indicatively, it is mentioned that in the EU countries, only 1% of those aged 15 to 24 and 2.6% of those aged 25 to 34 drink daily. As age increases, there is a significant increase in the percentage, reaching up to 16% for those aged 65 and over.”
Another study, conducted in Greece on high school students every five years since 1984, also shows a decrease in consumption rates up to 2019, the last recording. However, Dr. Dakanalis advises against complacency “because it is not accompanied by a corresponding degree of reduction in the rates of drunkenness.”
In the EU countries, only 1% of those aged 15 to 24 and 2.6% of those aged 25 to 34 drink daily. As age increases, there is a significant increase in the percentage, reaching up to 16% for those aged 65 and over,” Antonios Dakanalis, Professor of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy.
The role of alcohol by generation and gender
“Alcohol no longer has the almost metaphysical role it had in previous generations on a personal and interpersonal level,” comments Elena Karageorgiou, clinical-social psychologist and author of the book, “The Book of Shame” (Armos publications). “Nowadays, the data say that along with the spontaneity and carefree attitude that have been lost in young people, there has been a significant loss of interest in alcohol use.”
However, when we talk about the older generations, things change. There, “the data from international research say that the period of quarantine due to the coronavirus, besides the many other negative effects it had on mental health, contributed to a significant shift towards alcohol as a means of managing anxiety, conflicts, as an escape, but also as entertainment.”
Ms. Karageorgiou believes that differentiations depend on gender. “In contrast to very young ages, but also women from older generations, women over thirty use alcohol more openly in their social lives. The image of a woman drinking no longer causes the stigma it would have in the past. However, we observe that this liberation has contributed to an increase in alcohol consumption by women for managing the multiple pressures they experience both in the professional and family spheres.”
“In contrast to very young ages, but also women from older generations, women over thirty use alcohol more openly in their social lives. The image of a woman drinking no longer causes the stigma it would have in the past,” Elena Karageorgiou, clinical-social psychologist and author.
The word of Generation Z representatives
In our report with representatives of Generation Z, there’s a divide in opinions about alcohol. There are those who drink every time they go out or gather, and those who don’t drink at all. However, from their testimonies, it appears that young people come into contact with alcohol from a very early age and now also with other addictive substances.
“Young people my age drink. Very few are those who don’t drink. This has been happening since school. I remember my classmates. Now they combine alcohol with other substances. Today, if a child has a certain allowance, they will spend it in such a way as to be able to consume both alcohol and smoke marijuana. They may not go out to clubs and big venues as much as in the past, but they gather in squares and parks and drink,” notes Ioanna, 27 years old.
She consumes alcohol and has associated it with pleasant experiences at the beach, where she feels she can’t have a good time without a beer. Perhaps this influence stems from her childhood, when she sat at the table with her parents and grandparents and drank a small glass of wine with them.
“Today, if a child has a certain allowance, they will spend it in such a way as to consume both alcohol and smoke marijuana. They may not go out to clubs and big venues as much as in the past, but they gather in squares and parks and drink,” Ioanna, 27 years old.
Sofia, 30 years old, focuses on the economic aspect of alcohol consumption: “I don’t particularly like beer or wine. I drink cocktails, but they are expensive, so I go out for cocktails about once every two months; I don’t have the financial ability to do it more often.”
For their part, Tasos, Maria, and Evgenia, 20, 23, and 23 years old respectively, will drink when they go out—however many times a week, whether they visit a venue or gather in homes and squares. “We don’t need to have fun, but it creates a different atmosphere. We enjoy ourselves.” Georgia, 27 years old, is of the same mindset, admitting that she and her friends will drink a lot. Konstantina, also 23 years old, will drink not only when she goes out with her friends but also at home. “A glass of wine helps me relax. I won’t drink every day, but when I get home at night, I like to sit on the couch and enjoy a glass of wine.”
“I don’t drink at all. I don’t crave it. My friends, however, do. They will drink every Saturday whenever we go out. They won’t always come home drunk, but they will drink a lot,” says Giorgos, 26 years old, with Dimitra, 23 years old, adding: “I don’t drink either. Neither does my boyfriend, but my group of friends drinks. Personally, I don’t like it. I prefer to drink water. And the same at parties and outings. I rarely drink alcohol.”
In contrast, Eirini and Sia, both 28 years old, think differently. “We will drink both when we go out and if we gather at someone’s house. We like it. But we won’t drink so much that we don’t know what we’re doing or get drunk.”
“I don’t particularly like beer or wine. I drink cocktails, but they are expensive, so I go out for cocktails about once every two months, I don’t have the financial ability to do it more often,” Sofia, 30 years old.
How dangerous is alcohol?
Many factors determine how alcohol will affect us, such as our body weight, gender, the amount we consume, and under what conditions. For example, when we combine a few glasses of wine with a lavish meal, we will need to drink more to get drunk.
However, Dr. Dakanalis divides its action into two categories, explaining that the short-term, which begins with slowing down reactions and impaired judgment and can lead, depending of course on the amount and other parameters, to loss of consciousness, even death from poisoning.
In the long-term, where excessive consumption increases over time, the risk for a host of physical, mental, and cognitive problems, from depression and anxiety disorder to cases of psychosis with hallucinations and from obesity to cirrhosis of the liver.
Also, “alcohol consumption increases the chances of cancer. The probability increases, of course, depending on consumption, but even one drink a day is detrimental,” adds Dr. Dakanalis.
Is it okay to drink “a little glass” now and then?
And so, there’s an answer to our next question: We, who for years read articles with scientific research that claimed that even one glass of wine can be good for our health, should we give up even a small amount of wine that “gladdens the heart”?
As it seems, it would be good to reconsider our relationship with alcohol. In the case, for example, of its connection with various types of cancer, Dr. Dakanalis comments that “the probability increases, of course, depending on consumption, but even one drink a day is detrimental.”
In simple words, if we occasionally enjoy a glass of rosé, of course, it is not mathematically certain that we will get sick. However, the less we drink, the more we protect our health. As happens with other potentially harmful habits.
“Alcohol consumption negatively affects the body from the first sip. That is why there is no longer a safe limit of consumption. The recommendation from the World Health Organization is zero. Each country now defines its own limit, but the ideal is not to drink at all,” believes Giouli Psarraki, certified Alcohol Freedom Coach and author of the book “Without” published by Armos publications.
The unknown “gray area” before alcoholism
A term perhaps relatively unknown to many, the “gray area drinker,” which describes a relationship with alcohol that many of us may have gone through or may be in, without realizing that it can lead to a problem of substance dependence. However, Ms. Psarraki introduced this into our conversation.
“This category has emerged in the last ten years and concerns a large part of the population. They are not those who drink once in a while, say at a party, a wedding, or Christmas, for whom alcohol is really a means of entertainment, nor those who will get up in the morning and absolutely have to drink. If we could put them on a scale where at one end would be those who don’t drink and at the other end those who have a dependent relationship with alcohol, the gray area drinkers are in a gray area of consumption.
“If we could put them on a scale where at one end would be those who don’t drink and at the other those who have a dependent relationship with alcohol, the gray area drinkers are in a gray area of consumption,” Giouli Psarraki, certified Alcohol Freedom Coach and author.
“That is, they are those who consume alcohol above the limits, but not at the extreme. They are those who have realized that alcohol affects their daily lives, e.g., with intense hangovers, headaches, mood swings, and reduced energy, but they crave it. Alcohol has begun to take on another role in their lives.
“It is precisely because it affects them physically that they give many excuses and pretend that there is no problem. They are those who wonder in the morning, ‘Why did I drink?’ and at night they will drink again, telling themselves that they deserve it because they had a difficult day. In essence, alcohol must be present in their lives; they cannot imagine it without it.
“These people experience a low-quality daily life due to consumption, but they do not admit it. If there is no alcohol, they cannot have fun, connect, function. In short, alcohol begins to play a significant role in their lives.”
Alcoholism and how to recognize it
The first image that comes to mind when we hear the word “alcoholic” may be a guy with ragged clothes, drinking alone until he passes out on a park bench. In reality, however, alcoholism can take many forms, and the path to it differs from person to person.
“The transition from social use to alcoholism can happen over a period of many years or with impressive speed,” explains Dr. Dakanalis. “Some alcoholics are binge drinkers who drink for two or three days straight, others drink continuously and are never sober.” He explains that “it is practically impossible to generalize about what causes addiction.”
Ms. Karageorgiou, however, believes that addiction “appears in people who at some point realized that by consuming alcohol, the difficulties of their lives were ‘alleviated,’ while they did not have, at least, other appropriate means (support or skills) to cope. In this element, we could perhaps distinguish addiction from social use, in the charged emotional relationship that the addicted person has with alcohol. Also, in the fact that they cannot imagine functioning in their life without it.”
The fact, that is, that we will have fun one night clinking cocktails with our friends does not mean that we are alcoholics. As long as we can do perfectly well without it on another night out, where, for example, we will limit ourselves to a mocktail because we have to drive afterwards.
“Alcohol is an emotion transformer. We all seek it because it gives us something, but we don’t understand how quickly we can become addicted to it. You live most of the time with all the negatives, for a Friday or Saturday to come so you can drink and have a good time. This is a very serious warning sign that you need to hear. It is an addiction that evolves, so the sooner you stop, the better,” adds the Alcohol Freedom Coach, while noting that we no longer talk about alcoholism, but about alcohol use disorder.”
Dr. Dakanalis, for his part, presents some clear signs that we have developed a dysfunctional relationship with alcohol: “If at a party you drink one drink after another and if you drink alone at home, one or two drinks to relax. Also, if you feel a craving for a drink in the morning, if you wake up in the morning and don’t remember what happened the night before, but mainly if you lie to your loved ones about your use.
“Similarly, you argue after you have had a drink or two, you neglect your work, you miss appointments, and you feel physical withdrawal. Also, if you have already developed dependence, which is treated either with self-restraint or with the help of a specialist, depending on the degree of its severity and your personality.”
The fact, that is, that we will have fun one night clinking cocktails with our friends does not mean that we are alcoholics, as long as we can do perfectly well without it on another night out, where, for example, we will limit ourselves to a mocktail because we have to drive afterwards.
Life after alcohol
Giouli Psarraki began her journey of understanding her relationship with alcohol four years ago. This is along with her Instagram page titled “anef_alcohol” and her involvement with Alcohol Freedom Coaching.
“Our society has taught us that someone who gets up in the morning to drink has a problem, they cannot function otherwise, they will lose their job, they will lose their balance, they are physically dependent. So, no, I did not belong to this category, and I was sure that there was no problem.
“I was a fully functional woman. Dynamic, working, a mother, who used alcohol as a means of coping with difficulties. It did not affect my daily life at all. But imagine a person who goes out and drinks three glasses of wine on Saturday and three on Sunday. Every week. This person has a stable relationship with alcohol if they drink in this pattern.
“This consumption is above the permissible limits. There came a time when there was a vicious cycle of guilt. While I would say I wouldn’t drink this week, I would drink. This annoyed me. I could never put it in order. Four years ago, at a phase in my life, I decided not to drink for 30 days. I thought I would try, and in the end, if I don’t succeed, I will have done a detox, and I will see where this experiment takes me. I wanted to see what would happen and if I would succeed.
“Nothing happened that led me to stop. I was very calm and conscious and wanted to try. I never said, ‘I will never drink again.’ I had not reached an extreme state, but I saw things from the outside. So, within those 30 days, I started reading about it and studying about alcohol.
“As soon as they ended, I didn’t want to drink, I didn’t want this substance in my body. I didn’t crave it. Having the benefits of this break, better sleep, fewer kilos, clearer thinking, I wanted to continue the research without drinking. I felt that I was in danger from it. I couldn’t let alcohol pull me back. This clarity was a gift to myself. Alcohol seemed very small compared to what abstinence offered me.”
This article was originally published by Georgia Karkani and Sissy Strempa on the Marie Claire Greece website.
