Alcohol and crystal meth on the rise
The Federal Drug Commissioner Marlene Mortler has presented the new drug and addiction report. It provides information on the current data situation and the anti-drug policy of the Federal Government from January 2013 to early 2014. We have summarized the most important results.
Crystal meth is spreading in Germany
For several years, search experts have warned against Crystal Meth, now the numbers confirmed that the drug is on the rise. Last year, drug investigators ensured 77 kilograms? as much as never before. The number of new consumers rose by seven percent to 2,746. However, Marlene Mortler also admitted that so far little is known about the drug and its spread, as it lack of data from the scene. The federal government plans to clarify more about the consequences of the crystal meth consumption. Crystal Meth is a methamphetamine that is many times more potent than other synthetic drugs like Speed or Ecstacy. It improves performance and makes you addicted very quickly. Only recently it became known that the SPD politician Michael Hartmann allegedly consumed meth.
The number of alcoholics is increasing
According to the drug report, there are more and more alcoholics in Germany. Around 1.8 million people are alcohol dependent, compared to 1.3 million eight years ago. Another 1.6 million adults drink too much, even if they are not considered addicted. It is also alarming how many young people regularly drink into a frenzy: according to the Robert Koch Institute, these are 54 percent of young men and 36 percent of young women (18 to 29 years). Even "coma drinking" among adolescents is still a problem: more than 26,600 10 to 20 year olds were treated in 2013 because of alcohol consumption in a clinic.
Source: Federal Statistical Office Destatis, 2014
Particularly at risk: children from addiction families
The victims of an alcohol addiction are not only the victims themselves, but also the relatives, especially children. In Germany, about 2.65 million children and adolescents live with at least one parent who is alcoholic. Between 30,000 and 60,000 children have parents who are dependent on illegal drugs. Children from families who are addicted to addiction are at particular risk of not developing well physically and mentally. According to studies, her risk of becoming addicted later is two and a half to six times that of other children.
Addiction to adolescents: Smoking is uncool
Overall, however, the Federal Government can report pleasing figures about the addictive behavior of adolescents. So there are fewer and fewer children and teenagers who smoke. Cigarette consumption among those aged 12 to 17 has more than halved from 27.5 per cent (2001) to 12 per cent (2012). Only one in ten teenagers reaches for the cigarette. The proportion of adolescents who regularly drink alcohol has also fallen, from around 18 percent to 13.6 percent. The Federal Drug Commissioner attributes these figures to educational work.
Tobacco remains addiction problem number 1
Although young people smoke less, the number of nicotine addicts is still high. 5.6 million Germans are according to drug report dependent on cigarettes. A study by the Robert Koch Institute found that 29.7 percent of 18- to 79-year-olds smoke, 23.7 percent of them daily and six percent occasionally. Men smoke 32.6 percent more frequently than women, with only 27 percent smoking daily or occasionally. About 110,000 deaths per year in Germany would have to be attributed directly to smoking, according to Mortler.
