Tuesday 16 Jan part 2

More interesting Finnish facts.

Finns have a reputation for being heavy drinkers.

They contribute to this stereotype by being drunk in public during such celebrations as Vappu, when they are abroad on holidays, or when retelling this stereotype to visitors or newcomers.  Sound like anyone we now?

But is this stereotype of the drunken Finn correct? What about that reputation then? Have they earned it?Well, some Finns think they have. At least in the sense that often their aim is to get drunk.

According to a Finn I met in the pub, they don’t tend to just drink one or two glasses of beer (mainly) or wine with food. Rather, they consume alcohol in the absence of food with the explicit intent of getting drunk. Sound like anyone we know?

In the last decade or so, however, Finns have started to frown upon getting drunk. Only about a third of them now think that getting drunk is just an innocent way of having fun.

According to that august, reliable and well loved organisation, the WHO, there is a whole bunch of us around the 10 litres of pure alcohol equivalent per adult per year.

Someone is not pulling their weight!

The list includes Finland, Australia, NZ, Denmark, Greece, Laos and South Korea.