European Alcoho... / Resources / Country Profiles / Bulgaria
Bulgaria
In Bulgaria, the traditional alcoholic drinks are rakiya (a fruit brandy, often plum) and boza (a type of beer made with grain, usually millet).
Data from the 1994 Sofia Heart Study found that spirits (rakia) accounted for around 50% of alcohol consumed, beer for around 30%, and wine for around 20%. Men reported an average of less than three drinking days per week and an average consumption of 65 g alcohol on these days; 17% of men reported excess alcohol consumption of 40 g/day and 12% of 60 g/day. The percentages and thresholds for excess alcohol consumption in women were 5% (20 g/day) and 2% (40 g/day). In relation to the increased risk of ischaemic heart disease from non-drinking causes, 30% of men and 67% of women aged over 45 reported themselves as non-drinkers. [1]
Estimates from key alcohol experts show that the proportion of adult males and females who had been abstaining (last year before the survey) was 12% (males) and 36% (females). Data is for after year 1995. [2]
The same survey also found that of those men reporting that they drink on several days per week, 7% report regularly drinking the equivalent of 160 g of alcohol per drinking occasion. [3]
Youth Drinking: In the 1999 ESPAD study of subjects 15 to 16 years old (total sample size n = 5391; males n = 2434 and females n = 2957) the proportion of subjects who reported being drunk three times or more in the last 30 days was 8% (total), 12% (males) and 4% (females).[4]
There is a growing concern regarding the large-scale alcohol abuse seen among children and youngsters in Bulgaria. There have been growing reports of children seeking medical aid for alcohol poisoning. Equally disturbing is the fact that these children, even at such a young age, are already showing signs of potentially being dependent on alcohol. A 1995 sociological survey carried out among 2800 secondary school students found that 8% used spirits frequently.[5]
Male death rates from cirrhosis in Bulgaria have more than tripled in a period of 25 years. Although alcohol is only one of the factors accounting for the high level of premature mortality of the Bulgarian population, it seems likely that it is an important one, and one that is amendable to a concerted policy response. [6]
The SDR per 100,000 people for chronic liver disease and cirrhosis was 16.16 in 2001 and 15.04 in 2002. The number of alcohol-related road traffic accidents per 100 000 population was 5.78 in 2000 and 5.42 in 2001. [7]
[1], [3] & [6] Balabanova D, McKee M. Patterns of alcohol consumption in Bulgaria. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 1999, 34(4):622–628.
[2] Alcohol per capita consumption, patterns of drinking and abstention worldwide after 1995. Appendix 2. European Addiction Research, 2001, 7(3):155–157.
[4] Hibell B et al. The 1999 ESPAD Report. The European School Survey on Alcohol and Other Drugs: Alcohol and Other Drug Use Among Students in 30 European Countries. Stockholm, Council of Europe, 2000.
[5] Anguelova JT. Youth of Bulgaria: some problems and risks during the transition period. Background paper prepared for the Regional Monitoring Report No. 7 “Young People in Changing Societies”. UNICEF, 2000.
[7] European health for all database. World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe.
