NCZI: Alcoholism Seeing Downward Trend, But Proportion of Women Rising

Bratislava, 16 November (TASR) - The number of people with alcohol addiction is declining, but the proportion of women among them is rising, National Health Information Centre (NCZI) communications specialist Simona Uhlarova Jarosova told TASR earlier this week, adding that nearly 14,000 people were admitted to hospital last year in connection with alcohol abuse, with 17 percent suffering from alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. "Last year, psychiatric outpatient clinics examined 26,714 people for mental and behavioural disorders caused by alcohol use, and 76 percent had been diagnosed with alcohol dependence syndrome. These are the lowest figures recorded in the period from 2011 to 2024," said NCZI spokesperson Alena Krcova, adding that the downward trend is most evident among men, with the number of male patients examined last year down by 9 percent compared to the years between 2019 and 2023. The number of people examined for alcohol-related issues for the first time in their lives saw a decline as well, and new cases reached an all-time low in 2024, at 5,746. Among newly diagnosed patients, men aged 45–54 and 35–44 made up the highest share. Of the 13,863 alcohol-related hospital stays completed last year, a total of 304 cases ended in death, representing about 2 percent of all alcohol-related admissions, said Krcova. As regards the structure of diagnoses on admission to hospital, mental and behavioural disorders caused by alcohol use accounted for 81 percent (11,168 patients), while cirrhosis of the liver was second, at 17 percent (2,336 cases). In total, 467 people took their own lives in 2024, with 32 percent of suicides committed under the influence of alcohol or an addictive substance. The proportion was higher among men (33 percent) than women (25 percent). However, it's encouraging that the number of women consuming alcohol during pregnancy has been steadily decreasing in Slovakia. "According to the latest data for 2023, of 48,812 births, 178 mothers were reported as having consumed alcohol," said Krcova, adding that highest proportion was found among girls aged 15 to 19. jrg/df