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Poland Alcoholism
The older generations of Poles escaped narcotics
addiction,
but alcoholism is a problem in all generations. Alcohol
consumption is an integral part of Polish social
tradition, and
nondrinkers are relatively rare. Per capita consumption
increased
significantly after World War II, however, and consumption
remained above the European average throughout the
communist
period. Children often began drinking when still in
primary
school. Government programs nominally discouraged
excessive
drinking, but the importance of revenue from the Polish
alcohol
industry restricted their activity. Throughout the 1980s,
the
percentage of strong alcoholic beverages in overall
consumption
rose steadily, putting Poland near the top among nations
in that
statistic. In 1977 an estimated 4.3 million Poles consumed
the
equivalent of more than 48 liters of pure alcohol per
person per
year; of that number, about 1 million were believed to be
clinically alcohol-dependent. In 1980 the average male
Pole over
sixteen years of age consumed the equivalent of 16.6
liters of
pure alcohol per year.
Data as of October 1992
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