Oh no: it turns out Dutch people get drunk much more often than you think

When I think of drunk Dutch people, I picture the audience at a Toppers concert, swaying and loudly singing along. Somehow, I have the feeling that Dutch people can only get obnoxiously drunk. And I also have the impression that we get drunk very often. Just like our colleagues at Amayzine, who investigated whether our suspicions are correct.

Number 10

Well, the latter really is the case. An international survey on alcohol and drug use shows that our small country ranks tenth among the ten nations that get drunk most often. Is that something to be proud of? We not only drink a lot, but also often: no fewer than 112 days a year. How often do we actually get drunk? About sixteen times a year, so more than once a month. Well, I actually believe I fit this average exactly.

Drunk 27 times

In this annual Global Drug Survey, more than 32,000 people from 22 different countries were asked about their alcohol and drug use. Which nation gets drunk most often? The Australians, at around 27 times a year. But unlike the Dutch, they drink less, averaging 107 drinking days per year.

So when it comes to the number of days we drink, we rank highly. Though I have to admit that I don’t think it’s extremely much either: 112 days a year works out to two days a week. That’s not too bad, right?

The study also produced a funny result: on average, Dutch people regret the amount of alcohol they drank about 24 times a year. I find this rather suspicious, since we are drunk an average of sixteen times a year. Could our people not have been entirely honest during this interrogation? I can’t imagine regretting alcohol if you weren’t drunk. Or perhaps that’s exactly why?

Regret comes later

Anyway, the people who most often drink without feeling guilty are the Danes and the Finns. They both regret their alcohol use only seventeen times a year. Well, we Dutchies could learn something from that. After all, regret is a pointless emotion.

Also read:

• 10x the grossest drink orders for bar staff
• Fact check: does drinking alcohol help against a hangover?
• Is this the drink for people who think hard seltzer is undrinkable?