Alcohol addicts die about 20 years earlier

Alcohol addiction reduces the lifetime by about 20 years according to a study

17/10/2012

Alcohol addiction shortens life expectancy by around twenty years, according to a long-term study by researchers from the Universities of Greifswald and Lübeck on the effects of alcohol and tobacco consumption. The study will, according to the scientists in early 2013 in the US trade magazine „Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research“ released.

Like the head of the Institute for Epidemiology and Social Medicine at the University of Greifswald, Professor Ulrich John, told the news agency "dpa", reached alcoholic women in the study on average only a life expectancy of 60 years, alcoholic men died on average at the age of 58 years. „None of the deceased alcoholics had reached the average age of 82 for women and 77 for men“, the study director continues.

Alcohol addiction requires a significant lifespan reduction
In 1996, according to their own representative study, the researchers had recorded and evaluated the health data of 4,070 randomly selected inhabitants of Lübeck and 46 surrounding communities. Among the study participants were also 153 alcohol addicts. 149 subjects with alcohol addiction (119 men, 30 women) participated in the long-term study of the scientists. For fourteen years, Prof. John and colleagues observed the influence of alcohol on the health of addicts. They found that alcohol addiction causes a massive reduction in life expectancy. Also, the death rate among study participants compared to peers without alcohol problem has increased significantly. It was 1.9 times higher among male alcoholics and 4.6 times higher among alcoholics.

Women are more susceptible to alcohol than men
According to the Greifswald epidemiologists seem „Women react faster and more with illnesses to alcohol consumption than men.“ This increased susceptibility can not be explained by the lower body mass alone. „Women must heed that they are allowed to consume significantly less alcohol than men“, Prof. John continues. As a guideline, international guidelines can be used here, which provide for a maximum daily amount of twelve grams of alcohol for women and 24 grams for men. Overruns should be avoided as far as possible and "at least two days a week a complete abstinence from alcohol is advised".

Alcohol reduces life expectancy more than smoking
The scientists were not only surprised by the drastic effect of alcohol dependence on life expectancy, but also „that alcohol addiction appears to be a major contributor to a shorter lifespan compared to smoking“, explained Prof. John. This is probably explained by the fact that the smoking-related fatal cancers often occur only at the age of well over 60 years - a age that most alcoholics do not even reach.

Weaning therapies without any impact on life expectancy
The researchers also found in their study that treatment for alcohol dependence had no positive impact on life expectancy. „Our results show that those who were in a weaning treatment had no greater survival time compared to those who had never undergone therapy“, explained study leader Prof. John. Of the 149 alcoholics, about 23 percent underwent a multi-month weaning therapy during the 14-year study period, while 6.7 percent completed detoxification. Both approaches, however, remained "without any positive effect on life expectancy". According to the head of the Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine at the University of Greifswald, a clear sign that the therapy offers urgently need to be revised.

Therapy offers need to be revised
According to the Greifswald social doctor put on alcohol dependence „The therapies in Germany too late, if those affected already suffer from a variety of alcohol-related disorders.“ Here, an adjustment of the offer is required. According to Prof. John, much more emphasis should be placed on alcohol prevention. For example, price increases, sales bans at gas stations and a strict prohibition of alcohol at the wheel are conceivable approaches. Until today is the „German society too alcohol-oriented“ and „Germany is a high consumption country“, stressed John.

Alcohol problems prevalent
The prevalence of alcohol problems in the German population is shown by the figures of the German Center for Addiction Issues (DHS) and the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA). According to this, "more than nine million people between the ages of 18 and 69 years in this country show a risky drinking behavior". Of these, just under three million people are prone to harmful alcohol consumption and 1.6 million are alcohol dependent. What a drastic reduction in life time associated with the alcohol addiction, but is probably still aware of the few addicts. (Fp)

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Image: Paul-Georg Meister