Despite nearly 6% of Portuguese adults having drink problems, over four in ten say they do not drink alcohol at all, well, in the last year anyway
The women are ahead with over half (54% ) not touching a drop of the hard stuff, or even the not so hard stuff as wine is far and away the favourite alcoholic drink in the country accounting for 55% of all alcohol consumed.
Those that have developed a lifetime habit of avoiding the booze number one in five of adults. The World Report on Alcohol 2014 shows that after wine, beer is next on the menu followed by spirits.
Also, 43% of the men surveyed admitted going on a bender in the month before the question was asked, twice as many as women.
The research showed also that men knock back more than twice the volume of drink (18.7 litres each) compared to the fairer sex at a demure 7.6 litres per head.
These figures should be seen in context as the Portuguese are lightweights compared to boozy northern Europeans and despite the volume consumed only 5.8% of the adult population could be classified as suffering from a disorder linked to alcohol and only 3.1% suffer from alcoholism, not good for them but as a nation we are standing our round without being reckless.
