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3 days ago
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Teenage girls are outdrinking their male peers in the UK at a greater rate than in any other European country, according to research.
More than a third of 15-year-old girls in the UK report getting repeatedly drunk, compared with less than a quarter of boys the same age, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found.
While higher proportions of girls in Denmark, Hungary and Italy admitted regular drunkenness than those in the UK, their rates were much closer to those of boys. For example, in Denmark 43% of girls admitted to getting drunk repeatedly, compared with 46% of boys.
It is unclear why British girls appear more susceptible than boys to getting drunk regularly, but it could be connected to marketing and trends among adults.
British women have the highest rate of binge drinking in the world, with more than a quarter consuming at least six alcoholic drinks in a single session at least once a month. British men are still much more likely than women to binge drink, with 45% having a boozy night at least once a month.
Dr Anna Symonds, a clinical psychologist who works with young people, said she thought anxiety and low mood could be a factor in the findings. Britain scored lowest for life satisfaction among teenagers in Europe in research published last year, with girls particularly affected.
This “happiness recession” could be having an effect on teenage drinking habits, according to Symonds. She said it was possible there was a link “between girls experiencing higher levels of anxiety and social anxiety and using alcohol that way”.
She added: “Perhaps they’re using it to manage their emotions and their psychological functioning at the loss of any other strategies … People drink when they feel low to help themselves feel better. Of course, alcohol is a depressant, but teens don’t know that.”
The research relied on participants to be honest about whether they got drunk or not. British boys may still have indulged in binge drinking but pretended in the survey that they had a higher tolerance for alcohol.
Prof Ian Gilmore, the chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, told the Times: “Higher rates of drinking among girls is a real cause for concern, especially given the recent upturn in alcohol-related liver disease that we have seen among women. Although it is unclear what exactly is driving this trend, shifting cultural norms and shrewdly targeted marketing campaigns are likely to play a role.”
The OECD noted a general downward trend in adolescent alcohol consumption but said it was still an issue. On average, 23% of 15-year-old boys across Europe reported repeated drunkenness in the latest data from 2022, down from 39% in 2002. Among girls the rate fell from 30% to 23%.
The OECD said: “Repeated drunkenness, defined as being drunk on at least two occasions during their lifetime, continues to be common among adolescents in Europe … Early drinking initiation and getting drunk repeatedly among adolescents are of concern since these behaviours can have serious negative health, education and social consequences.”
Dr Richard Piper, the chief executive of Alcohol Change UK, said the research highlighted an “urgent need for change” and said alcohol marketing needed to be better controlled.
“Women in particular have been heavily targeted by alcohol companies in recent years to drink more alcohol. This creates an environment which glamorises and normalises alcohol, pretending that it is essential to our day-to-day lives,” he said.
“What’s more, we should be supporting children to enjoy an alcohol-free childhood as recommended by the chief medical officers. That means having proper controls in place, including sensible limits on alcohol marketing, so that children and young people are not constantly exposed to alcohol marketing, especially online, on TV and at sporting events.”
