A summer of underage drinking is coming into sharp focus as Greek Police intensify efforts to curb the phenomenon, with dozens of minors caught consuming alcohol and many of them ending up in hospitals and health centers in states of intoxication.
Read also: Chania: Three minors hospitalized after consuming alcohol — guardians arrested
Teen drinking crisis: Dozens of minors hospitalized this summer in Greece
Incident records from June 1 through August 19 paint a deeply troubling picture. In less than two and a half months, at least 30 separate incidents involving the sale, distribution, or consumption of alcohol by minors were recorded across the country.
At least 48 minors are implicated in these cases — and the real number is almost certainly higher. In several instances, police investigations concluded that it was not possible to identify all the minors involved. Meanwhile, at least 21 of these incidents resulted in a transfer to a hospital or health center.
From 5 incidents in June to 12 in just 19 days in August
The escalation over the course of the summer is striking. Research by parapolitika.gr identified 5 recorded incidents in June, 13 in July, and already 12 between August 1 and August 19. In other words, before the first three weeks of August had even passed, the number of recorded incidents was approaching the total for the entire month of July. August also brought a shift in the severity of events. Most of the cases identified were not merely about illegal alcohol sales — they involved minors showing visible signs of intoxication and requiring medical attention.
17-year-old loses consciousness in Nafpaktos
One of the most serious cases was recorded in the early hours of July 31 in Nafpaktos. A 17-year-old girl had consumed alcohol at a licensed establishment and lost consciousness as a result. An ambulance transported her to a health center, where she was hospitalized. In connection with the incident, police arrested the owner of the establishment, an adult who had accompanied the minor, and her father.
Similarly, in Thesprotia, a minor who had been drinking at a music and dance event lost consciousness and was injured after a fall. He was first taken to the emergency department in Igoumenitsa and then transferred to the General Hospital of Filiates.
Three intoxicated minors from the same event
In Konitsa, on July 21, the incident involved not one but three minors. All three had consumed alcoholic beverages at a music and dance event and became intoxicated. They were initially taken to the Konitsa Health Center and then transferred to a hospital in Ioannina. A few days later, in Preveza, a minor was found walking along the road in an apparent state of intoxication following a music and dance event. She was transported by ambulance to the hospital. The same area saw another incident on July 31, and yet another on August 16.
Crete at the center of the crisis in August
Crete recorded a particularly high concentration of incidents throughout August. On August 8, in the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos, a minor who had consumed alcohol at a social event required hospitalization. A similar incident was recorded the following day in the Municipality of Siteia. On August 10, in Chania, two underage girls were transferred to hospital after consuming alcohol at a social event, while on August 12, another minor in Mylopotamos, Rethymno, was taken to the Perama Health Center.
On August 14, in Chania, police investigated two separate incidents involving three minors in total, all of whom had obtained alcohol and ended up in hospital in a state of intoxication. The two-day period of August 15 and 16 brought two further incidents in Rethymno: one at a private residence in Amari and one at a social event in Mylopotamos.
Vodka on the table of four underage girls
Not all cases stem from private gatherings. In Kourouta, Elis, in the early hours of July 12, police officers found four underage girls at a licensed establishment consuming vodka from a bottle that had been served at their table. In Patras, on July 26, three minors were drinking alcohol at a venue without having had their ages verified. In Paxos, the situation took a different form: a minor reportedly purchased an entire bottle of alcohol, which was then consumed by a group of underage peers. In Grevena, a 54-year-old liquor store owner was arrested for selling alcohol to a minor.
It’s not only happening in bars
The geography and settings of these incidents reveal another dimension of the problem. Alcohol is reaching minors not only through bars, clubs, and licensed establishments. Police announcements reference local festivals and music events, social gatherings, private homes, birthday parties, retail stores, and organized group trips. In Ioannina, for example, a minor felt severely unwell after consuming alcohol at a birthday party in a private home and had to be transported by ambulance to the hospital.
In a separate case in the same city, a minor participating in an organized trip with a group of children from abroad was rushed to hospital with acute alcohol intoxication.
At least 48 minors — and the real number is higher
The incident data ultimately provides only a minimum baseline of the problem’s true scale. From June 1 to August 19, at least 30 distinct incidents were identified, involving at least 48 minors. This figure does not represent the total number of underage drinking incidents that occurred across the country — it covers only those that came to the attention of police. Officers told parapolitika.gr that many young people concealed themselves or fled after losing consciousness.
Behind these numbers lies a picture of children and teenagers in states of intoxication, ambulances outside entertainment venues and event spaces, and parents rushing their children to emergency rooms. A summer that, for dozens of minors, ended in a hospital bed.
