Drinking occasion types and their connection to intoxication in different generations in Finland in 2023 and 2008

We analyze Finns’ drinking contexts by age and sex: prevalence of drinking occasion types, the role of intoxication in them, and changes since 2008, when alcohol consumption was 37% higher than in 2023.
Surveys of the Finnish general population aged 20–69 in 2023 (n = 2133) and 2008 (n = 2500) recorded respondents’ most recent drinking occasions (n = 5851 and 8095), including place, time, company, and amount of alcohol consumed.
Men’s drinking occasions occurred more often than women’s ‘alone’ (22% vs. 12%, p < 0.001), women’s occasions were more often in three social occasion categories. 55–69-year-olds drank more often than 20–34-year-olds ‘alone’ and ‘with family at home’ (22%+50% vs. 11%+19%, p < 0.02 for both) and less often in two late-night drinking occasion types (1%+2% vs. 13%+23%, p < 0.001 for both). Similar patterns emerged for intoxication occasions. The share of occasions involving intoxication declined from 23% in 2008 to 19% in 2023. ‘Socializing at someone’s home’ accounted for the greatest decline in annual volumes of alcohol consumed.
Among young adults, long nights of partying and socializing are key drinking occasions to target in preventing acute harm. Among older adults, solitary and family-based occasions contribute most to both intoxication and overall consumption.