Alcohol abuse: Increasingly fewer young people are hospitalized because of alcohol

The number of children and young people who have to be treated in hospital because of acute alcohol poisoning is continuing to decline in Germany. As the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden announced, a good 11,500 young people between the ages of 10 and 19 were due to acute illnesses in 2022 alcohol abuse inpatient in a clinic. That was slightly less than in the previous year and 43.1 percent less than in 2019, before the outbreak of the corona pandemic (20,300 cases).

This is the lowest level in 21 years. Most young people were treated in 2012, namely 26,700.

The statisticians explain the decline since the first year of Pandemic with canceled festivals, closed restaurants and contact restrictions. This trend continued in the following two years. Demographic effects also play a role in the decline in numbers in a long-term comparison.

Across all age groups, there were 68,700 cases of hospital treatment for acute alcohol poisoning last year, slightly fewer than in the previous year and almost a third fewer than in 2019.

Risk of alcohol poisoning among 15 to 19 year olds remains high

Despite the falling number of cases, the risk of alcohol poisoning among young people is still particularly high: the most cases were recorded in the 15 to 19 year old age group in 2022 with almost 9,700. This is followed by those aged 50 to 54 with 6,500 cases. There were 1,900 cases among 10 to 14 year olds.

The data also indicates differences between genders. In 2022, around 48,000 men across all age groups had to be hospitalized because of alcohol abuse, which was 69.8 percent of all cases. The proportion of men is significantly higher than the proportion of women across all age groups – with the exception of the 10 to 14 year old age group. The difference is most pronounced in the 45 to 49 year old age group, with a proportion of men at 76.1 percent.