Alcohol endangers young people: politics demands protective measures!

Alcohol endangers young people: politics demands protective measures!

In Germany, alcohol consumption is often considered an integral part of social occasions. It is hardly questioned whether there is a life without alcohol. Often it is especially the people who do not consume alcohol who have to justify themselves. A glass of alcohol is perceived as harmless, but reality looks different: alcohol is a potentially dangerous drug that can have serious effects, especially for young people. Indeed, young people are particularly at risk because they react more sensitive to alcohol and have a higher probability of developing an addiction. Due to the low prices and the sometimes unregulated advertising for alcohol in Germany, this can lead to problematic consumption behavior. However, advances to improve the youth and adult handling of alcohol are positively evaluated, such as determined.

Alcohol consumption among young people has changed in the past two decades. According to the Federal Center for Health Education , regular consumption was less than 20 years ago, but has been stagnating for some time. A decline in the noise was recorded during the Corona pandemic, whereby this trend has now increased again and has reached pre-corona level. Currently, 65.1% of the male and 60.8% of female adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 have already drunk alcohol. This corresponds to a slight decline compared to 2016. In the age group of 18 to 25 year olds, over 90% have already consumed alcohol, while the regular drinking rates are 12.4% for boys and 6.9% for girls.

health and social consequences

The health, social and economic problems that alcohol consumption brings with it are considerable. In 2018, around 3 million adults between the ages of 18 and 64 suffered from alcohol -related disorders in Germany. Of these, 1.6 million were alcohol -dependent and 1.4 million abused alcohol. In addition, around 7.9 million people consume alcohol in a health -risk form, while 9 million people have problematic consumption. A definition of what is considered a risky consumption is the surplus of more than 12g pure alcohol per day for women and 24g for men. The figures make it clear that Germany has a high alcohol consumption in international comparison, with one per capita consumption of 10.2 liters of pure alcohol in 2023, as the occupied for addiction questions

alcohol consumption can lead to a variety of health problems for young people and adults, and the dangers must not be underestimated. Burkhard Blienert, the Federal Government Commissioner for Addictive and Drug Questions, indicates these risks and recommends a comprehensive information about the consequences of consumption. The 2023 drug affinity study showed that consumption in young people is partly increasing, while the educational rate and awareness of the dangers of alcohol have to be strengthened at the same time. The dangerous consumption of alcohol can only be reduced by targeted measures and prevention.