This is how often Dutch people get drunk

When I think of drunk Dutch people, I really see the audience in front of me swaying and singing loudly at a concert by the Toppers. Somehow, I feel that Dutch people can only get clumsily drunk. And that we get drunk very often, I have that idea too.

Well, that last part is indeed the case. An international study on alcohol and drug use shows that our small country ranks tenth in the top ten of the most frequently drunk nations. Is that something to be proud of? Yes, right? We not only drink a lot, but also often: no less than 112 days a year. How often do we actually get drunk? That’s about sixteen times a year, more than once a month. Well, I actually believe that I fit exactly into this average.

In this annual Global Drug Survey more than 32,000 people from 22 different countries were surveyed about their alcohol and drug use. Which nation gets drunk the most? That would be the Australians, with about 27 times a year. But unlike the Dutch, they drink less, averaging 107 days a year. So in terms of the number of days we drink, we rank high. Although I must honestly say that I don’t find it extremely much either; 112 days a year comes down to two days a week. That’s not too bad, right?

The study also revealed a funny outcome: Dutch people regret the amount of alcohol they have consumed about 24 times a year on average. I find this quite suspicious, since we are drunk an average of sixteen times a year. Could our people not have been completely honest during this questioning? I can’t imagine that you regret alcohol if you haven’t gotten drunk. Or maybe that’s exactly why?

Well, those who drink most often without guilt are the Danes and the Finns. They both only regret their alcohol use seventeen times a year. Well, we Dutch can still learn something from that. Regret is after all a pointless emotion.

Source: AD