Why the Decrease in Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages in Italy between the 1970s and the 2000s? Shedding Light on an Italian Mystery

Abstract

Between the 1970s and 2000s several changes occurred in the amount and pattern of alcohol drinking in Europe. The case of Italy, with a sharp drop in wine consumption despite the lack of any preventative measure, seems paradoxical and needed a specific study. The research aim was to demonstrate that significant changes in lifestyle conditions that started taking place in the early 1970s in Italy are able to explain the strong reduction in wine consumption during the period.