Alcohol Policies Affect Drinking Patterns—A Potentially New and Harmful Drinking Pattern in Consumers of Small Vodka Bottles (SVB) in Poland

Drinking alcohol has a vast and diverse impact on many aspects of people’s lives around the world. It is a major public health concern and is subject to numerous legal regulations and limitations. So far, little attention has been paid to if and how the volume of alcohol containers may affect drinking patterns. The widespread availability in recent years in Poland of small vodka bottles in various flavors and sizes was the rationale behind investigating whether the phenomenon may affect drinking patterns in any way. This was a 12-month cross-sectional survey study that started in January 2020. It included a total of 217 inpatients and outpatients that met the ICD-10 alcohol dependence criteria. The respondents were asked about their drinking habits and the use of small vodka bottles. It was found that respondents who regularly use small vodka bottles were much more likely to start their drinking early in the morning. The widespread availability and selection of small vodka bottles may encourage and facilitate drinking that starts early in the morning. It also makes it easier to maintain and control intoxication throughout the whole day, which could be considered another drinking pattern different from the other well-established ones, such as binge or continuous drinking. However, the design of this study makes it impossible to draw firm conclusions and further research is necessary.