Effects of British Expats Drinking More Alcohol in Spain’s Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca During Strict Lockdown

THE effects of British expats drinking more alcohol in Spain’s Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca during the country’s strict lockdown might be felt over the next few years.

Spain is one of the largest alcohol drinking nations in Europe along with France, Portugal, and Italy.

Prices are much cheaper than in most of the continent and certainly compared to the United Kingdom, which reported a sharp increase in booze purchases before the lockdown measures started there.

A report in the British Medical Journal suggested that increased UK drinking could become a real problem, especially as people took to the bottle still further, having had alcohol issues in the past.

The BMJ said: “Now, as signs emerge of some control over new cases of the coronavirus, it is increasingly clear that if we don’t prepare for emerging from the pandemic, we will see the toll of increased alcohol harm for a generation.”

For people in Spain that have a serious issue with alcohol, Alcoholics Anonymous have been a regular source of support, but ironically their face-to-face meetings, at such a crucial time, have had to be suspended because of the lockdown restrictions.

Nevertheless they’ve kept going with virtual meetings via Zoom and maintained their various helpline numbers.