Yesterday in Europe, who were the most likely to turn to drink, drugs, or cigarettes?

'Trump tariff' coping mechanisms - Data on drinking, smoking, and doing drugs

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2025

A Facts4EU summary of some of the stress responses and lifestyle choices in Europe

Yesterday the media was wall-to-wall Trump and his new ‘Retaliatory Tariffs’ on goods imports into the United States from countries around the world. As the apocalyptic forecasts of economic Armageddon rolled on throughout the day, viewers of the news channels in the EU as well as in the UK may be forgiven for wishing for a ‘coping mechanism’.

In the event that any Brexit Facts4EU.Org readers felt inclined to indulge at any point, today we present a ‘hair-of-the-dog’ diversion in the form of a short analysis of three behaviours often associated with coping with stressful news.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary No.1

Lifestyle behaviours and choices – the EU and the UK

1. Annual average consumption of alcohol, per person aged 16+
Expressed in equivalent of medium-sized glasses of WINE per year per person

Our drinking habits over time, comparing wine, beer, and spirits

100 years ago, the average British person over 15 years old consumed just 4% of his or her alcohol in the form of wine. This has now risen ten-fold, to 41%. In the same time period, consumption of pints of beer has fallen. 100 years ago beer represented 78% of a person’s annual consumption of alcohol but this has now dropped to 37%. The balancing item is spiritis, which has increased only slightly.

In France, things have been rather different. 100 years ago, the average French person over 15 years old consumed 82% of his or her alcohol in the form of wine. This has now dropped to 59%. In the same time period, the proportion of the consumption of alcohol in the form of spirits has doubled and the share of beer has tripled.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary No.2

Lifestyle behaviours and choices – the EU and the UK

2. The percentage of adults who smoke, 2020
The UK and the Top 5 EU countries

© Brexit Facts4EU.Org 2025 - click to enlarge
[Source: World Health Organisation, via the World Bank, accessed April 2025.]

3. Share of population with drug use dependency, excluding alcohol and nicotine
The UK and the Top 5 EU countries

Observations

The Facts4EU team was very surprised in particular by the amount of alcohol consumed each year by the average person over the age of 15. The figures from the WHO show an average person in the UK drinking 10.7 litres of pure alcohol per year. When we converted this into wine (12% alcohol by volume) and then into medium sized glasses (175ml), it gave us the figures we have shown in the chart above.

All we can say is that some people must be drinking an awful lot of the stuff to compensate for the Facts4EU slackers!

Please, please help us to carry on our vital work in defence of independence, sovereignty, democracy and freedom by donating today. Thank you.

[ Sources: World Bank | World Health Organisation | Weights & Measures (Intoxicating Liquor) Order 2011 | OWID ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Fri 04 Apr 2025

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Reader Comments 5

1. terence patrick hewett , Friday, April 04, 2025, 13:07:

Now we know why Jean-Claude Junckers was such a piss-artist.

2. Sparky , Friday, April 04, 2025, 14:06:

Interesting. Wonder what the Leave/Remain split would be?
.
The drug dependency is a concern.

3. Gazzablack , Friday, April 04, 2025, 18:06:

2, sparkless
.
Dunno Hiroo, but I do know that the remain centric region known as Scotlnd has by far the worst drugs problems in the UK.
.
Perhaps that would be an indication.

4. LuxuryBalloon , Sunday, April 06, 2025, 11:35:

On 13 Nov 2024, Facts4EU wrote an article that the Brexit Britain now has 8 trade deals with US states, including Texas and Florida. And Facts4EU was praising Kemi Badenoch for signing these agreements. Today, these 8 ‘wonderful’ trade deals seem irrelevant … now Trump slapped 10% tariffs on UK goods and 25% tariffs on UK cars.
.
FROM THE BREXIT FACTS4EU TEAM.
Interesting you mention the report but don't provide the link, Luxury Balloon. It suits you not to mention we wrote : "These State-by-State trade deals do not of course qualify as full free trade agreements. Nevertheless they are highly significant in removing barriers to trade, particularly in services." And yet you only talk of goods.
There are no tariffs on services. The point of deals like this is that they revolve around things such as mutual recognition of qualifications, not having to set up a US office, etc. We know one or two things about international business because members of our tean have done business with more than 100 countries around the world....
Incidentally, we're not publishing the link as we plan to update and re-use that report tomorrow.

5. LuxuryBalloon , Sunday, April 06, 2025, 16:34:

Thank you Brexit Facts4EU team. And thanks for all your hard work. Looking forward to tomorrow’s article.

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