It was a little after 5 p.m. when they sat down on the terrace of a bar in Place Sainte-Anne. To take advantage of this beautiful end to the day, Anatole and Matis ordered a pint of cold beer from which they regularly dip. The two friends are not the only ones. On this sunny Tuesday, the most festive place in Rennes is crowded. As the school year draws to a close, the Breton capital and its 70,000 students will be bustling until late in the evening. With the key, a good number of pints, shots and balloons of wine engulfed.
The “reputation” of Rennes should not make us forget a reality. The same evening, all over the country, the French will play the same score in a joyful recital of clinking glasses. But at what cost ? According to a survey conducted by Public Health France, 22% of adults consume more alcohol than recommended. In the jargon of health professionals, we speak of “recommended alcohol consumption limits”. The line to adopt: two glasses a day, not every day and no more than ten glasses a week. Let those overflowing raise their hands.
“I’m on the verge of addiction”
Matis is one of them. From the top of his 20 years, the student delivers a lucid look at his consumption. “For me, it’s aperitif every day, with my friends, my parents. I know that I have a festive consumption which is excessive, that I am on the verge of addiction. I also know that it has an impact on my health. I see it on my memory for example, I am aware of it. But for now I’m enjoying it and we’ll see later. The young Rennais is far from the recommendations recommended by Public Health France and by all health professionals. The “two drinks a day and not every day” system was developed in 2017 to set limits for a population steeped in the culture of alcohol as a social bond. “Research recognizes that alcohol is always dangerous, regardless of the dose. There is no zero risk because alcohol is carcinogenic, it is now established. The benchmark of two drinks a day and not every day was set as a socially acceptable risk, something that speaks to people. Beyond these recommendations, the risks are significantly increased,” explains Guylaine Benech.
The public health consultant does not seem surprised by the latest results of the barometer. Established in Brittany, she was still able to observe that her region, like that neighboring Pays-de-la-Loire, was the one where people drank the most. The author of the book Teens and alcohol can however be satisfied with data extracted from this survey: the share of young people who drink too much has decreased: “I think that the knowledge of the French about the risks of alcohol has improved. Ten years ago, I feel like no one really cared. With events like dry January, we can talk about it. We give ourselves the right not to drink without looking like a killjoy. In France, it is estimated that alcohol is the cause of 49,000 deaths per year, against 66,000 for tobacco.
“Sometimes I like drunkenness, because it’s cool”
On Place Sainte-Anne, the people we sat down with said they were aware of the dangers of alcohol. But all seemed to “come to terms with it” by setting their own benchmarks. “Me, I can’t drink every day, I don’t like that. I like to party on the weekends with a lot of drinks. Sometimes I like drunkenness, because it’s cool. But I’m careful because I know it’s not right. I have the impression of being fully aware of my consumption, ”testifies Anatole, a blond beer placed in front of him. Jeanne, 19, and Apolline, 18 ordered a “Monaco”, a mix of beer, lemonade and grenadine syrup. “We are on the terrace, the weather is nice, it makes you want to,” explains Jeanne. At 5:30 p.m., it was “too early” for them to order a beer. “Since I got my apartment, I don’t go out anymore. But often it’s three or four glasses, sometimes a few shots but never more. I don’t want to end up dead drunk. And then in winter, I go out a lot less. Jeanne sometimes assumes to drink soft drinks in the evening when she doesn’t feel like drinking alcohol. Sitting opposite, her friend Apolline says she is “perfectly aware of the effect of alcohol on health”: “if I drink at a party, of course I don’t drink the next day. My body doesn’t want it. »
In his weekly bulletin, Public Health France notes that so-called “risky” behaviors are more frequent among boys (33.5%) than among girls (14.9%). An observation that seems to be confirmed when Quentin, Alexandre and Enzo meet. These three 17-year-old high school students were turned away from a bar in Place Sainte-Anne because they were minors. But they were able to order a pint in the adjoining bistro without any problem. “During the week, I don’t drink, except today. But on weekends, I drink a lot. More than ten glasses in one evening, that’s for sure, ”says Quentin. Often vodka coke or shots of strong alcohol. And the health risks? “Frankly, I don’t care about recommendations. On the other hand, for the cigarette, I am careful, because I know that it is bad for my health”. At his side, his friend Enzo seems a little more reasonable on the booze: “I tell myself that if it remains occasional, it’s fine. Everyone around us does it. The pressure isn’t just in the glasses. It is also in our relationship to parties, family reunions and evenings with friends where “the rule” is almost systematic consumption.
Should the price of alcohol be increased in France?
Faced with these excessive weekend drinks, health professionals are trying to make their message heard: no more than four glasses per evening and only on an exceptional basis. A recommendation that is very difficult to pass on in the hubbub of the bars and apartments that welcome these young people every weekend. Above all, they hope that the State will one day decide to set up a real plan to fight against alcohol consumption, as was the case for tobacco. And above all that a strong political choice will be made by significantly increasing the price of alcohol. “Everyone knows that it would be effective in reducing consumption. All the studies carried out in other countries show this”.
In 2018, Scotland, renowned for its whiskey and beer, imposed a floor price of 50 cents per unit of alcohol (about 10 ml). According to a study published in The Lancet, the measure would have prevented about 150 deaths per year. Not negligible in the territory with the highest alcohol-related death rate in the United Kingdom. But is France ready for it?