Fight against alcohol consumption Germany far behind in international comparison

WHO report on the fight against alcohol consumption: Germany performs poorly
Years ago, research showed that Europeans are world champions in alcohol consumption. In this country too much is drunk on average. A recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that Germany needs to take more action in the fight against alcohol consumption.

High alcohol consumption damages your health
In Germany, people drink more than average alcohol. This has health consequences. Who drinks, harms his body. According to the Department of Addiction Issues (DHS), a person dies statistically "every seven minutes in Germany because the alcohol has damaged the liver and pancreas, throat, stomach and intestine or the cardiovascular system". Nevertheless, too little is done in this country against the dangerous consumption of alcohol.

In Germany too little is done against dangerous alcohol consumption. This is shown by a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO). (Image: Olesia Bilkei / fotolia.com)

Europe has the highest alcohol consumption
In principle, high consumption can damage any organ of the human body. Alcohol increases the risk of numerous diseases such as high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia, heart failure, fatty liver and nerve damage.

According to a statement from the German Alliance for Noncommunicable Diseases (DANK), Europe has the highest levels of alcohol use and the highest associated burden of disease in the world.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has now presented a report on the efforts of European countries to reduce harmful alcohol consumption, in which Germany scores only moderately in many areas and often even comes in last.

"The report makes it clear that German policy urgently needs to take action against the high alcohol consumption," said DANK spokesman. Dietrich Garlichs.

Reduce alcohol-related problems
In 2011, all 53 member states of the WHO European Region had approved the "European action plan to reduce the use of alcohol 2012-2020" (EAPA).

The action plan aims to reduce alcohol-related problems through various measures such as price policy, workplace prevention, motorists' alcohol levels, age restrictions on the sale or restrictions on marketing and advertising.

WHO has now reviewed the extent to which Member States have implemented the recommended actions - and lays down the report "Policy in action. A tool for measuring alcohol policy implementation ".

Germany in tailing the availability of alcohol tail
Looking at the states in detail, the analysis shows that Germany ranks 23rd in the field of politics / education of 29 countries, 29 countries in the field of workplace prevention / in the community, and measures against Austria in the second place Alcohol at the helm of 30 countries in 26th place and in the measures against illicit trade and production of alcohol on the penultimate position of 53 states.

"In terms of limiting the availability of alcohol, we even rank bottom in 30 countries," said Dr. Ute Mons, Head of the Cancer Prevention Unit at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg.

Only in marketing restrictions and measures to reduce the negative effects of harmful alcohol consumption Germany occupies middle places, ie ranked 12th out of 30 or 15 out of 31.

"The WHO report makes it clear that action is still needed in Germany in terms of reducing harmful alcohol consumption," said Mons.

"Here, political leaders are called upon to take appropriate measures, for example by raising alcohol taxes and collecting by alcohol, and a uniform age limit of 18 years for the sale of alcohol and the consumption of alcohol in public". (Ad)