More than 25% of adults in Czech Republic suffer from alcohol use disorder, according to experts.
The Czech Republic has a population of 10.5 million. More than 25% of Czech citizens suffer from some type of addiction – an increase in recent years. Nevertheless, the amount of government funding for prevention and treatment programs has been decreasing.
- Two million Czech adults use alcohol daily
- 94% of children under the age of 15 report that they’ve used alcohol
Evidence shows that the earlier youth start using alcohol, the higher is their risk of developing alcohol use disorders later on in life.
According to the World Health Organisation, the Czech Republic ranks among the countries where most years of life are lost due to alcohol. The total alcohol per capita consumption is 13 liters – two liters more than the average for the WHO Europe Region.
Experts recommend to step up alcohol policy measures and to put in place the “3 Best Buys”:
- Higher taxes on alcohol, help to reduce per capita alcohol intake and raise governments revenues that can be invested in health promotion;
- Regulating alcohol marketing, helps to reduce social costs from violence and early onset of alcohol use by children, as well as reducing overall alcohol consumption in the Czech Republic;
- Restricting the availability of alcohol leads to a decline in per capita alcohol use and related harms and helps make public space more inclusive for people being especially vulnerable to alcohol-related damage.
For further reading: World Health Organisation, Country Profile, Global Status Report on Alcohol 2014
