Attitudes to alcohol in Spain
November 13, 2007
Spain’s problem with alcohol is minor compared with countries like the United Kingdom.
The relative size of drinks in Spain is a good guide to the scale of the problem. When you order in a bar, the standard serving of beer is a caña – a glass with a volume of 200 millilitres, just over a third of the size of a British pint.
Many people start drinking in their early teens in Spain, but not just with their friends – often with their parents.
There’s a high social tolerance for alcohol consumption and the atmosphere in which drinking is done – in bars, restaurants – is usually relaxed and more suited to slower drinking than in some other countries. It is rare to see alcohol-fuelled violence.
That is not so say that Spain is immune from alcohol issues.
The Ministry for Health says about 5% of Spaniards have an alcohol-related problem.
And, a phenomenon known as Botellon (Big Bottle), where young people meet and consume alcohol on the street is a cause of concern for some Spaniards who say it encourages binge drinking. Botellon has been banned in some cities.
But you only have to go out at night in Spain to see that, generally, alcohol is well under control.