Key Points

Daily Alcohol Consumption

• In 2021, 10.2% of adults aged 18–75 reported drinking alcohol daily; since 2017, the proportion of daily drinkers has decreased significantly, though it remained significantly higher than the national average (8.0%).

• In 2021, this proportion was significantly higher among men, those aged 46–75, and those in the highest income brackets compared to 2017.

Heavy Episodic Drinking

• In 2021, 16.0% of adults aged 18–75 reported having monthly heavy drinking episodes; this proportion has not changed significantly since 2017 and was not significantly different from the national level (16.5%).

Exceeding guidelines for lower-risk drinking

• In 2021, 22.8% of adults aged 18 to 75 reported exceeding the guidelines for safe drinking. This proportion was not significantly different from the national level (22.0%).

• This proportion was significantly higher among men and individuals with an educational level higher than a high school diploma.

Emergency room visits directly related to alcohol

• In 2023, 13,615 visits directly related to alcohol were recorded, compared to 19,230 in 2017. The proportion of emergency room visits directly related to alcohol was also decreasing, a trend that should be viewed in the context of overall emergency room use (changes in access to care due to emergency room regulation in recent years).

• The departments with the highest rates of emergency room visits directly related to alcohol, for both genders, were Creuse and Charente-Maritime.