The number of binge drinkers in Bavaria continued to rise - so many drink regularly to excess

Corona and Christmas: Two factors that drive up alcohol consumption for many.

New figures on alcoholism in Germany are worried doctors.

The number of heavy drinkers in Bavaria has continued to rise, but not as much as in many other federal states.

As the KKH commercial health insurance company informs, around 33 percent more people in the south received medical treatment for addiction, withdrawal symptoms, acute intoxication or psychological problems due to alcohol than ten years earlier.

Bavaria is thus below the national average of 37 percent

.

The KKH registered the largest increase with 68 percent in Saxony-Anhalt, the smallest increase of 18 percent in Hamburg.

Nationwide, around 28,000 KKH ​​insured persons have recently shown excessive alcohol consumption *.

Extrapolated to the entire population, that's 1.3 million people.

In Bavaria, around 185,000 women and men are affected

.

The number of unreported cases is likely to be much higher, however, because the health insurance data only record cases that have been diagnosed by a doctor.

When do alcoholics?

"No matter whether man or woman: at least two days a week should be alcohol-free"

The situation has worsened again due to the corona crisis: a forsa survey commissioned by the KKH has already shown that almost a quarter of regular alcohol consumers have been using bottles more frequently since the pandemic.

Alcohol consumption also usually rises at Christmas and New Year's Eve, because the temptation of mulled wine, punch and the like is great.

Especially people who already drink a lot of alcohol run the risk of going overboard again during these weeks and then consuming even more alcohol in

order to achieve the desired effect.

In addition, ex-addicts are at greater risk of relapses during the Christmas season, but also in times of crisis.

More on the subject:

Expert warns: That's why you should never drink beer after exercising.

"There is nothing wrong with healthy people occasionally drinking a glass of red wine with their meal or a small beer, especially on public holidays," says Patric Stamm from the KKH service center in Munich.

However, it is important to keep an eye on the limits.

According to the Federal Center for Health Education, healthy

women with more than 0.3 liters of beer and healthy men with more than 0.6 liters of beer per day are

in a hazardous area.

"Regardless of whether you are a man or a woman: at least two days a week should be alcohol-free," emphasizes Stamm.

When do you become a heavy drinker?

Alcohol consumption that is harmful to health is one of the causes of numerous diseases, including high blood pressure, obesity, cirrhosis and cancer.

Heavy drinking is particularly risky because it can also lead to acute damage such as alcohol poisoning and injuries, for example from falls and violence.

The Robert Koch Institute speaks of binge drinking when those affected consume six or more alcoholic beverages at least once a month on one occasion, for example at a party

.

* Merkur.de belongs to the Germany-wide Ippen-Digital editorial network

.

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