Alkoholkonsum: Umfrage: Alkoholverzicht muss oft begründet werden
Alkohol gehört für viele zum Feiern dazu – zugleich haben zahlreiche Menschen schlechte Erfahrungen mit Betrunkenen gemacht. Was eine Umfrage über den Umgang mit Trinken und Verzicht zeigt.
Why explaining alcohol abstinence often required in Germany
A recent survey found that in Germany, explaining why someone abstains from alcohol remains a common occurrence. According to Pronova BKK, 42 percent of respondents had to justify their decision at least once. The survey, conducted in July and August, polled 1,228 adults aged 18 and older across the country. Eighty-six percent of those surveyed admitted to generally drinking alcohol.
Thirty-eight percent of respondents consumed alcohol at least once a week. Men were significantly more likely to do so, with half of them drinking at least once a week, while only slightly more than one in four women fell into this category.
Patrizia Thamm, a health promotion expert at Pronova BKK, explained that alcohol consumption is deeply ingrained in certain social situations, leading many to view it as a normal part of life rather than a conscious choice. Social bonding through shared drinking is another factor, as abstaining can be perceived as an exclusion. Nearly one in three respondents reported needing to explain their decision to abstain from drinking multiple times.
Thamm emphasized that alcohol abstinence should not require justification, but rather challenge the societal expectation that drinking is the norm.
Despite most respondents consuming alcohol, nearly half of them found other people's intoxication unpleasant enough to leave an event early. One in three respondents, particularly women, reported being sexually harassed by an intoxicated person. Nineteen percent of men also reported similar experiences. Bundesdrogenbeauftragter Hendrik Streeck had previously warned about the risks of alcohol, highlighting its potential to cause cancer, heart and circulatory diseases, addiction, and family stress.
He emphasized that less alcohol is not a sacrifice, but a gain in health, freedom, and quality of life. The German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte) advised questioning, reducing, or eliminating alcohol consumption.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
