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Global Drug Survey -

The Global Drug Survey (GDS) is an independent research organization based in the UK. It's the largest drug survey in the world.

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When and where -

The GDS surveyed participants from December 2020 to March 2021, on habits of the previous 12 months. Over 32,000 people from more than 20 countries were surveyed.

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Demographics -

30% of the respondents were under 25, while 38.5% of the sample were aged 35 or older.

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Demographics -

62% of the surveyed people were male, and 86% of the sample were white. 

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Education and mental health -

In terms of education, 47% had at least an undergraduate degree. Of the 32,000 respondents, 40% had been diagnosed with a mental health or neurodevelopmental condition. 

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Top 10 most used drugs -

Overall, alcohol tops the list, followed by cannabis (THC), tobacco products, MDMA, CBD cannabis products, cocaine, e-cigarettes, amphetamines, LSD, and magic mushrooms.

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What “being drunk” means -

The GDS defines being drunk as “having drunk so much that your physical and mental faculties are impaired to the point where your balance/speech was affected, you were unable to focus clearly on things, and that your conversation and behaviors were very obviously different to people who know you."

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Averages -

On average, respondents reported getting drunk 14.6 times a year. 

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Who gets drunk more often? -

In some countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Denmark, trans, non-binary, and intersex respondents reported getting drunk more often than their cis counterparts.

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Drinking frequency -

Surveyed people in France, New Zealand, and the Netherlands reported drinking more frequently than in other countries. 

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Drinking frequency -

On average, those surveyed drank about twice a week in the last 12 months.

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Which countries are getting drunk the most? -

According to the survey, English-speaking countries and Scandinavian countries get drunk more times per year when compared to other countries.

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Which countries didn’t get drunk? -

On the opposite end of the spectrum are mostly South American and European countries.

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Alcohol, pleasure, harm, and fun -

The 2021 report also looked into "how important the amount of fun they had with other people was, how important it was for them to avoid harm from their use of alcohol, and how important it was to maximize the pleasure they
got from drinking."

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How important it is to have fun? - Finland, Denmark, Romania, and the Netherlands, all scored above 8 (on a 1-10 scale) in regards to how important the amount of fun they have with other people is. 

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How important it is avoiding harm? -

With regards to how important it is to avoid harm
associated with alcohol use, respondents from Brazil, Mexico, and Spain, scored the highest.

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How important it is to get pleasure from drinking? -

When it came to how important it is to maximize the pleasure people get from drinking, most nations scored an average of 6.

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Getting drunk and regretting it -

The GDS defines regret as "wishing you had drunk less or not drunk at all."

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Getting drunk and regretting it -

On average, people regretted getting drunk 21% of the time, with female respondents regretting getting drunk 25% more often than men.

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Which country regretted the most? -

The highest rates of regret were reported in Ireland, with 28.4% of respondents having regretted having one too many.  

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Which country regretted the least? -

As for the lowest rates of regret, we have Denmark and Finland, with 17%.

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Getting drunk and regretting it - behaviors -

The main behaviors that were associated with getting drunk and regretting it included “drinking too much too quickly.”

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Getting drunk and regretting it - behaviors -

Other drinking behaviors that were associated with getting drunk and regretting it included “mixing drinks” and “being with people who engage in heavy drinking.”

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Getting drunk and regretting it - behaviors -

People surveyed also reported other behaviors, such as taking other drugs at the same time, and starting to drink while in a bad mood.

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What people regret the most -

The top thing people regret about getting drunk is a bad hangover, followed by saying something they wouldn’t normally say, increased anxiety the next day, and ending up in an argument.

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What people regret the most -

Other things people regret include failure to do something important, ending up in an unwanted sexual situation, and self-injury.

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How to minimize the risk of harm and increase the pleasure of drinking -

The GDS suggests drinking less, drinking more slowly, and avoiding hanging out with big drinkers.

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Recommendations -

They also suggest avoiding mixing drinks, and not mixing alcohol with other drugs.

Sources: (GDS 1 and 2)

See also: How to make plans that don’t involve alcohol

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