THE FRENCH call it le binge drinkingand consider it one of the more obnoxious imports from across the channel.
Now officials in Lyons have introduced a night-time ban on retail sales of alcohol to combat what is seen as a nasty Anglo-Saxon habit sweeping France.
From today, shops throughout the city will be banned from selling alcohol between 10pm and 6am in an effort to limit public drunkenness. The ban will not apply to bars, restaurants or nightclubs.
Until five years ago, the French viewed binge drinking as a phenomenon largely limited to the UK and Scandinavian countries.
This is reflected by the use of the English term, which is widespread and appears not to have been censored by the Académie Française, the body guarding the French language.
Now, France is being forced to admit it has a growing problem. The national institute for health education has launched a campaign called BoireTrop(Over-Drinking) to warn of the dangers of excessive drinking. The institute says alcohol is responsible for 45,000 deaths in France every year.
A World Health Organisation report in 2010 showed the French to be the fourth biggest consumers of alcohol in Europe, based on 2005 figures, behind Estonia, the Czech Republic and Ireland. Britain was 13th. Not surprisingly, most alcohol consumed in France is wine. The report found Gallic drinking habits to be “stable”.
Officials are particularly concerned about the rise in drinking among those aged 18-25, especially women, and want to address the growing fashion among youngsters for getting drunk as quickly as possible. – ( Guardianservice)