Students often suffer from alcohol problems

Just under a fifth of the students are at risk
Many young people like to drink alcohol occasionally during their studies. But a part apparently drinks much more than other groups of the same age. This is shown in a study with almost 1,840 students from the University of Hildesheim. Thus, nearly a fifth of students drink too much alcohol and thus have an increased risk of becoming addicted to alcohol.
Study offers many occasions for alcohol consumption
Whether semester end, the finished housework or a passed exam: There are many occasions for celebrating and drinking alcohol during the study. But some students seem to find their way into dependency faster. A study by the University of Hildesheim has now come to this conclusion, in which the addictive behavior of the students there was examined. According to the news agency "dpa", the researchers surveyed nearly 28 percent of the enrolled population (1,838 people in total) and came to the conclusion that about 18 percent have an increased risk of becoming addicted to alcohol.

Alcohol addiction is widespread among students. Image: wrinkled grain - fotolia

Majority drinks only once a week
But this does not mean that studying is automatically associated with high alcohol consumption. "It's not that all students give the edge," explains Prof. Renate Soellner from the University of Hildesheim to the news agency. Because the majority (65%) drink alcohol at most once a week, moreover, there is not an addiction risk for every person. According to Benjamin Becker of the addiction aid association Blue Cross, various factors would come into play in the development of dependence: "There are three things to it. What is my personality, how is my environment, and what addictive substances do I consume? "

1.7 million people are alcohol dependent
Drinking alcohol should therefore not generally be dangerous, instead it would depend on the quantity and the regularity. However, many people find it hard to drink moderately. According to the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA), about 1.7 million people in Germany are addicted to alcohol, and another 1.6 million people aged between 16 and 64 have alcohol abuse. Experts believe that an estimated 74,000 deaths are the result of alcohol risk or the combination of alcohol and tobacco.

According to Benjamin Becker, prior to the dependency would come the so-called "abuse phase", from which one could, however, create it on their own. The path to addiction is usually gradual, so it should be taken care of at the latest when frequency and quantity increase. The close environment or family and friends could help the person concerned if they confront him directly with the problem and tell him that they are worried about his alcohol consumption, Becker continues to the "dpa". (No)