Italy: Two Studies on Wine Consumption
Staff Writer - February 20, 2007
Two recent surveys revealed that, though Italy is not among the countries that enforce strict laws about wine and alcoholic beverage consumption, the abuse of alcohol is well within the parameters established by the World Health Organization.
One survey, conducted by the Permanent Observatory on young people and alcoholic beverage consumption, was especially focused on the drinking habits among young people.The study found that though Italy does not enforce severe sanctions, at the same time alcoholic drinks are not encouraged, especially among young people, instead there is the will to seriously understand the effects of alcoholic beverages and inform consumers about the results. Though Italy does not have a drinking age limit established by law, there appear to be fewer young people who abuse alcohol. In effect, seeking threatment for alcohol abuse among young people is unheard of in that country.
The second research was on the consumption of alcoholic beverages in the last 30 years, and was made by the Alcoholic Center in Florence in collaboration with the Turin University.
As it turns out, Italians drink less than they did 30 years ago, or 6.9 liters per capita versus 12.4 liters in the mid 1970s, marking a decrease of over 44%. This seems to prove that education and information lead to more responsible behavior, thus is preferable to prohibition and punishment.
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