Do the Falkland Islands dispel one of Jersey's biggest booze myths?

Wednesday 26 April 2023

Just what can the Falkland Islands tell us about Jersey's drinking culture?

It was revealed in the recently published Jersey Alcohol Profile 2022 that Jersey drinks more alcohol per head than every European country – with the sole exception of Latvia, who consume a whole 0.9 litres more per head than us.

Alarmingly, it was also revealed that 20% of islanders drink more than the NHS recommended limit of 14 units of alcohol a week.

One of the most frequently cited reasons, unofficially, for why people drink so much in Jersey is for a lack of anything else to do.

Indeed, every single interviewee in a recent JEP 'vox pop' feature on the island's alcohol consumption cited this as a reason for Jersey's excessive drinking. 

For example, when asked why Jersey drinks so much, Sonia Minns (52) said: "Must be boredeom." Sharina Verwij (29) answered: "Maybe because people are bored and maybe there is a lack of things to do." 

Pictured: Does Jersey drink from boredom? 

But does this myth stand up to cold hard facts?

Let's consider the Falkland Islands... With a population of 3,200 people, the Falkland Islands were famously described by Dennis Thatcher as "miles and miles of bugger all."  

In the Falkland Islands, there are a total of four pubs, and no nightclubs. There are more species of penguin (five!) than there are places to drink.

There are 200 sheep for every person in the Falkland Islands, the greatest sheep-to-person ratio in the world. 

However, according to the 2016 census, only 15% of Falkland Islanders drink more than the NHS prescribed limit of 14 units per week. In 2016, the figure was 18% in Jersey... So perhaps the myth doesn't stand up after all.

A glimpse at the drinking habits of other island nations...

Guernsey has previously reported worse findings than Jersey when it comes to problem drinking.

According a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment on substance use, commissioned by Guernsey's Public Health Services, recorded that 24% of people in Guernsey drink over the NHS recommended limit.

This is similar to Scotland's drinking level, where 25% of the population regularly drink over the recommended limit. 

Pictured: 24% of people in Guernsey drink over the NHS recommended limit.

The Isle of Man's Health and Lifestyle survey reported that 18% of the population drank over the recommended limit and that 24% of the population were 'binge drinkers'. That figure was 33% in Jersey. 

In the British Virgin Islands, again 18% of the population regularly drink at 'harmful levels'. However, their criteria is somewhat different. Harmful drinking for males is defined as having had five or more drinks on at least one day in the previous week; and for females, having four or more standard drinks on at least one day in the previous week. 

According to the Orkney alcohol and drugs partnership, just under a fifth of the Orkney population drinks twice above the recommended limits. 

In 2021, it was reported that the Isle of Wight had the most deaths per 100,000 due to alcohol in the South East Region of the UK, with 47.2 per 100,000. By contrast, Jersey's rate was 10.9 per 100,000.