Recent figures from the Finnish national institute of health and welfare THL have revealed a fall in alcohol consumption in the country.
The THL Yearbook of Alcohol and Drug Statistics reveals that 9.6 litres of pure alcohol per capita was consumed in 2012, a five per cent drop on the previous year. The institute has said the fall is linked to the health impacts of alcohol.
There was also a five per cent decline in the number of inpatient care periods related to alcohol. Furthermore, the number of care days resulting from alcohol-related withdrawal symptoms has shown a dramatic decline in recent years.
Surveys reveal that 23 per cent of working age men and seven per cent of women go on binge drinking sessions at least one time a week. In this age group there is not much change, but alcohol consumption among young people has decreased since the mid-2000s, and there has been a rise in the percentage of young people who do not drink at all.
Alcohol sales were highest in Lapland, where almost 11 litres of pure alcohol was sold per capita in 2012, and lowest in the Aland Islands. Officials claim the higher levels in Lapland are partly because of travellers buying alcohol in border regions with Norway and Sweden, where it is more expensive to purchase booze.