More young Germans choose to live free from alcohol. Less German teenagers were binge alcohol consuming in 2014, compared to seven years ago, according to a representative study of the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA), a specialist authority in the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Health in Germany.
Mrs. Marlene Mortler, the Federal Drug Commissioner of the Federal Government, introduced the recent study. Findings show that 12.9% of young Germans between the age of 12 and 17 do binge consume alcohol once per month. In 2008, the number was at 20.4%. Among the 18- to 25-year olds the percentage decreased, too, from 40.8% in 2008 to 35.4% in 2014.
“The trend is encouraging,” Mrs. Mortler said.
The overall trend also indicates that more and more German teenagers choose to live free from alcohol completely. 33% say they have never used alcohol. In 2001, it was only 13% of reported not using alcohol.
Mrs. Mortler also emphasized that alcohol still was the number one drug among young Germans – posing one of the gravest and avoidable health risks in Germany. Importantly, the trend does not include young women. There is no decrease in binge alcohol use among teenage girls and young women to be seen yet.
In Germany, around 1.77 Million people between the ages of 18 and 64 are alcohol dependent. An additional 1.6 million do have alcohol use disorders. Every year, 74.000 Germans die due to alcohol use.
The representative study conducted by the BZgA interviewed 7000 people between 12- and 25-years of age, via telephone, on questions of their alcohol consumption, their knowledge about alcohol, and their attitudes and social norms concerning alcohol.