Repeated drunkenness, defined as being drunk on at least two occasions during their lifetime, continues to be common among adolescents in Europe. Nearly one in four 15‑year‑olds have experienced repeated drunkenness, although this proportion has decreased over the last decade. Early drinking initiation and getting drunk repeatedly among adolescents are of concern since these behaviours can have serious negative health, education and social consequences. By age 15, 23% of adolescents report having been drunk more than once in their life on average across EU countries, and 17% of 15‑year‑olds report having been drunk at least once in the past month (Charrier et al., 2024[1]). This is despite the fact that the legal drinking age is 18 in most countries (WHO, 2019[2]). Adolescents who report early initiation to alcohol and having been drunk on several occasions are more likely to develop alcohol dependence later in life.
More than 30% of 15‑year‑olds in Denmark, Hungary, Bulgaria, Austria, Italy and Germany reported having been drunk more than once in their life in 2022. In contrast, this proportion is much lower in countries such as Portugal, Luxembourg, Ireland and France, with 15% or less of 15‑year‑olds reporting repeated drunkenness (Figure 4.6). Historically, boys were more likely than girls to report repeated drunkenness in most EU countries. However, this trend has shifted in recent years. In 2022, the gender gap on average across EU countries has closed. In fact, in 12 EU countries, a greater proportion of girls now report having been drunk more than once.
Looking at long-term trends, there has been a significant decrease in the proportion of adolescents reporting repeated drunkenness over the past two decades. In 2002, 39% of 15‑year‑old boys across EU countries reported repeated drunkenness, but this figure dropped to 23% by 2022 (Figure 4.7). A similar trend was observed among girls, with rates declining from 30% to 23%. However, more recent data comparing 2018 to 2022 show a mixed picture across the EU. Approximately half of the countries experienced a decrease in reported repeated drunkenness among adolescents. In the other half of countries, the rates either remained stable or increased during this four‑year period. Progress has therefore stalled in several countries.
A number of policies have proven to be effective to reduce alcohol drinking among adolescents, such as limiting access to alcohol (e.g. through restrictions on location and hours of sales, and raising the minimum age to drink alcohol), increasing prices (through taxation or minimum pricing of alcohol units), regulating advertisement in traditional and social media, and restricting industry sponsorship of sport and youth events (OECD, 2021[3]). Taxes on alcoholic beverages exist in all EU countries, but the level of taxes vary widely and by beverage type. When it comes to advertising on social media and the internet, the most common type of regulation across EU countries relates to restrictions on the content and placement of advertising, although some countries have gone further and adopted advertising bans on social media (e.g. Norway). Regarding industry sponsorship of sport and youth events, about one‑third of European countries report having voluntary agreements in place, while one‑quarter have no restrictions (WHO, 2019[2]).
