Spain faces high daily alcohol consumption rates

Medical specialists are raising alarms regarding high levels of alcohol consumption, noting that approximately 13% of adults in Spain consume alcohol on a daily basis. This figure makes Spain the second-highest consumer of daily alcohol in the European Union.

Dr. Paloma Lluch, a digestive medicine specialist at the Ribera Mestalla clinic, warns that social alcohol consumption has become highly normalized, often leading to silent liver damage. Because the liver possesses a large functional reserve, patients frequently remain unaware of the damage until complications from established cirrhosis arise.

Symptoms of advanced liver disease include jaundice, digestive hemorrhaging, fluid accumulation in the abdomen and legs, and cognitive impairment. On a broader scale, Europe leads global consumption with an average of 8.8 liters of pure alcohol per capita annually, contributing to high mortality rates and increased risks of chronic liver disease and cancer.