On the last 26th of July, CISA launched the fifth edition of the publication Alcohol and the Health of Brazillians - 2023 Panorama (Álcool and the Health of Brazilians – Panorama 2023). In an unprecedented way, the new edition presents the dossier "Young people and moderate drinking in Brazil - qualitative research" (Os jovens e beber com moderação no Brasil - pesquisa qualitativa) carried out by the research institute Ipec (Intelligence in Research and Strategic Consulting - Inteligência em Pesquisa e Consultoria Estratégica) at the request of CISA, which aimed to investigate whether young people, the population most likely to consume alcohol abusively, have habits and strategies of moderation and how they react to the definition of moderate consumption.
The research, carried out with young people between 18 and 24 years old, showed that social concerns, such as the fear of “embarrassing yourself”, being judged or harming themselves at work, are more determinant for young people to moderate alcohol consumption than harmful health effects.
Among the reasons for regret for getting drunk and overindulging in drinking are:
- Saying something you shouldn't to friends or co-workers;
- Not showing up for a work appointment the next day;
- Calling an ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend;
- Losing money or important objects;
- Being in a romantic relationship and kissing someone else.
Another important fact concerns the difference between genders in consumption: there is a recognition that alcohol increases women's vulnerability, especially in cases of violence, such as abuse and harassment. On the other hand, the greater physiological vulnerability of the female body to alcohol is not only unknown, but also incites great resistance from both participants – both men and women.
