People are buying and importing more alcohol than ever before. Where is it all going?

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Abstract
Aims: Removal of import quotas for alcoholic beverages from other EU countries and cuts on alcohol taxes by one third on average resulted in approximately a 10% increase in per capita alcohol consumption in 2004, and a further 3% in 2005. Our aim was to study which population groups accounted for this increase, and what happened to self-reported alcohol-related harm. Methods: A panel survey with a general population random sample was carried out. The current data are the first and third waves of the panel. A questionnaire was sent in autumn 2003 to 4000 Finns aged 15 to 69. In 2005, the questinnaire was mailed to 1209 persons who responded both in 2003 and in 2004 and who agreed to participate in the follow-up. Findings: The respondents themselves reported no increase in either their own consumption or in alcohol-related harm from 2003 to 2005, and there were few changes by subgroup of the population either. Conclusions: The survey data did not capture the increase in consumption that has been observed in per capita consumption. The permanent consequences of the changes in the alcohol situation in 2004 remain to be seen in future statistics and studies.