Norwegian drinkers knocked back more alcohol in 2002 than at any point in the past hundred years

Norwegian drinkers knocked back more alcohol in 2002 than at any point in the past hundred years, the Aftenposten daily reported on Monday. Although Norwegians are moderate drinkers compared to some of their European counterparts, average intake last year reached 5.92 litres of pure alcohol per person. The record of recent times had been set in 1980, when Norwegians ingurgitated an average 5.8 litres of alcohol each. The year 2003 was also set to become a record breaker, according to industry experts. Wine and spirits topped the list of favourite Norwegian beverages, while beer consumption has been steadily slipping, the report said. Aftenposten's figures were based on data from the state alcohol retail monopoly, the national brewers association and the state institute for research on intoxication. They claim to include alcohol purchases outside the official channels, such as duty free purchases abroad, illegal brewing and black-market sales. Norway operates a strict alcohol retail policy, channelling all retail sales through official outlets with limited opening hours and levying high taxes in a bid to discourage alcohol abuse.