Global Drug Survey reveals alcohol and drug habits during the Covid pandemic

Australians are officially the world’s biggest binge drinkers, but Britain and the US don’t lag far behind – featuring in the top five of the latest Global Drug Survey.

Denmark and Finland ranked at second and third in the survey of more than 32,000 people from 22 countries which collected data from December 2020 to March 2021.

The data also shows that the Irish felt the most remorse after drinking.   

Researchers believes extending Covid lockdowns contributed to the results

The survey found that the pandemic saw more experiment with ‘microdosing’ with psychedelics but people on average consumed less alcohol, cannabis, cocaine and LSD.  

According to the findings unveiled this week, Australians got drunk an average 27 times in 2021, almost double the global average of 15.

Australians filled up their beer or wine glass with booze two days per week on average, the survey revealed.

It also found Australians regret their intoxication on 24 per cent of occasions – compared to the 21 per cent global average, with women more likely to regret getting drunk than men. 

Britons joined the United States, Denmark and Finland in the top five drunkest nations after Australia

‘Drank too much too quickly’ was the most common regret, claimed by nearly half of those surveyed

But the Irish felt the most remorse after drinking this year, regretting it about a quarter of the time. 

The Danish felt the least regretful, and were also the second drunkest nation after Australia in 2021.

‘Drank too much too quickly’ was the most common regret, claimed by 49 per cent of those surveyed.

Six per cent said they felt anxious about Covid while four per cent said it was because they ‘hadn’t drank for ages’ due to pandemic restrictions. 

Australians filled up their beer or wine glass with booze two days per week on average, the survey revealed

Vinegar Yard in London. Britons joined the Australia, the United States, Denmark and Finland in the top five drunkest nations

Two percent drank too much at a virtual party. 

Britons joined the United States, Denmark and Finland in the top five drunkest nations after Australia.

France leads the world for the average number of drinks consumed in a year, enjoying more than 132 glasses of booze, followed by New Zealand on 122, while Australians had 106 drinks per year on average.

Despite this, the use of almost all drug classes fell in 2021 compared with last year’s sample.

Alcohol consumption fell to 92.8 per cent to 94 per cent and 51 per cent said they had smoked cigarettes in 2021 compared to 60.8 per cent in 2020.

The report said this could be due to the older age of the sample group or that most drugs were simply used less amidst the pandemic.

The Danish felt the least regretful after drinking and were also the second drunkest nation after Australia in 2021

France leads the world for the average number of drinks consumed in a year, enjoying more than 132 glasses of booze

People got less drunk over the lockdown and the rate of people seeking emergency help after consuming drugs fell for most substances too. 

However the report’s finding suggest that microdosing, which is when a very small amount of a substance is taken to observe its effects on the body, ‘may be on the increase among those who use psychedelics’.

One in four of this group said they had microdosed with LSD or psilocybin (more commonly known as ‘magic mushrooms’) in the last 12 months.

One third of those who had taken psychedelics before also experimented microdosing with MDMA, ketamine, DMT, and 1P-LSD.

The study also found that although the pandemic may have locked us in, most people who used illegal drugs still obtained substances in-person

For those who used illegal drugs, most sourced them in person despite Covid restrictions making this difficult for many

The study also found that although the pandemic may have locked us in, most people who used illegal drugs still obtained substances in-person. 

Where this occurred, people were most likely to get their supply from friends. 

Some 1 in 10 mentioned digital sources and reported darknet markets for drugs other than cannabis, which was more often accessed through apps.

The first question of the survey asked respondents to sum up 2020 in one word.

After translating responses the report said that the ‘main theme was a negative sentiment’ towards the year, with ‘sh**’, ‘f***ed’ and ‘challenging’ dominating the general consensus.