Abstract Research aims To describe alcohol consumption and preferences among both drinkers, and high-risk drinkers; to compare consumption before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic across eight European countries. Method Secondary analysis of a dataset from 24 946 respondents 18–90 years old from eight European countries who reported having drunk any alcoholic beverages during the week prior to the online interview (October–November 2022). Results Weekly alcohol consumption across countries was between 123.6 and 197.2 grams of pure alcohol per person, with a male/female ratio between 1.1:1 and 1.5:1. Traditional wine-drinking pattern was confirmed for France, Italy, and Greece, as well as for Great Britain. Prevalence of high-risk drinkers (daily consumption 30 grams for females, 40 grams for males) was highest in Great Britain; M/F ratio was between 1.1:1 and 1.3:1, except in Belgium, Great Britain, and Greece, where females outnumbered males. Those older than 65 years and those who resided in the countryside were less likely to be high-risk drinkers. Most respondents reported drinking the same amount of wine and beer in 2022 as before the COVID-19 outbreak, with high-risk drinkers increasing their drinking frequency of all types of alcoholic beverages. Conclusions Our results confirm a downward trend in alcohol consumption in most European countries. The gender gap between male and female high-risk drinkers is narrowing or, in some cases, reversing. In 2022, compared with before the COVID-19 outbreak, the majority of respondents reported drinking the same amount of alcoholic beverages, whereas high-risk drinkers increased the frequency of their drinking.
Allamani et al. (2026) studied this question.