According to experts, nicotine and alcohol continue to play an important role in Germany. The new addiction report shows developments in the consumption of legal and illegal drugs – and documents a sports betting boom.
The consumption of tobacco and alcohol continues to decline in Germany but remains at a high level according to the German Center for Addiction Issues (DHS). This emerges from the new “Yearbook Addiction 2023”.
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Spending on tobacco products fell to 27.1 billion euros in 2022 – a drop of 7.7 percent compared to the previous year. The consumption of finished cigarettes fell by 8.3 percent to 65.8 billion pieces, while the consumption of fine-cut cigarettes for hand-rolled cigarettes rose slightly by 0.9 percent to around 25,000 tons. Consumption of cigars and cigarillos fell by 8.9 percent to 2.5 billion units.
The percentage of smokers continues to decline
In recent years, addiction reports have also shown an increase in the consumption of shisha water pipe tobacco. No comparison is possible for 2022, since the consumption of water pipe and heated tobacco is not included in the new figures from the Federal Statistical Office, explained by DHS Managing Director Christina Rummel. “A drop in numbers is not to be expected in this area.”
Overall, the proportion of smokers continues to decline. According to the micro census, around 16 percent of women and 22 percent of men were still smoking in 2021. Regarding tobacco prevention and control, Germany is still at the bottom of the table in an international comparison, says Rummel. “We must consistently continue and expand measures to sustainably reduce tobacco consumption and exposure to passive smoke.”
Millions consume alcohol ‘in a way that is hazardous to health’
According to the DHS managing director, there is “still a lot to do” when it comes to alcohol. According to the addiction report, 7.9 million Germans consume alcohol “in a way that is hazardous to their health”. This corresponds to a daily amount of twelve grams of pure alcohol for women and 24 grams for men, i.e. one to two small glasses of beer.
“Although alcohol consumption has fallen further compared to previous years, significantly more alcohol is still drunk in Germany than the global average,” said DHS CEO Norbert Scherbaum.
Alcohol as a supposed cultural asset is widely accepted in society. “Even small amounts of alcohol can make you ill,” said alcohol researcher and yearbook author Ulrich John from the University Hospital in Greifswald. Abstaining from alcohol can bring women at least 16 years more life, for men it is at least ten years.
Experts call for political measures
In addition to prevention campaigns for individual consumption, for example in schools, the DHS experts call for more structural political measures. “There are three main points here: raising alcohol prices, restricting the current 24/7 availability, and regulating alcohol advertising,” said Rummel.
Structural prevention is proven to be effective and also reduces the costs of consumption for society as a whole. “Alcohol hurts with every sip,” stressed Rummel. “It’s a cytotoxin.”
Cannabis is the most widely used illegal drug
According to the experts, among the illegal drugs, cannabis is the most common among both young people and adults. According to current estimates, around 4.7 million adults between the ages of 18 and 64 and around 374,000 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 have used an illicit drug in the past 12 months.
Incorrect figures were initially reported in the DHS yearbook for the gambling market, and these are now being revised again. According to the German Sports Betting Association, betting stakes in the sports betting market amounted to 9.4 billion euros in 2021. This corresponds to an increase of 21 percent compared to the previous year.
