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Alchohol consumption patterns in Slovenia

People consume alcohol in different ways, depending on the beverage and amount involved and how often they drink. A Slovenian population survey carried out in 2012 among 25–64 year-olds indicated that:

• every tenth resident drank excessively (that is, they exceeded the limit for moderate drinking) and every other resident had engaged in binge drinking at least once in the previous year;
• 28% of men and 16% of women aged 25–34 years had engaged in binge drinking at least once and up to three times per month;
• 20% of the population had not drunk alcohol in the previous year.¹

Another Slovenian population survey carried out in 2011–2012 indicated that almost half the population aged 25–64 years were hazardous drinkers (drank excessively) and/or had been engaged in binge drinking in the previous year (Fig.1).²

Fig. 1. Percentage of hazardous drinkers, 25–64 years, Slovenia, 2011–12

Source: Uporaba tobaka, alkohola in prepovedanih drog med prebivalci Slovenije ter neenakosti in kombinacije te uporabe (Use of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs in Slovenian population, inequalities and combinations of such use).²

People taking part in surveys usually underreport their alcohol consumption. Thus, the actual number of hazardous drinkers in Slovenia is probably higher than that recorded. In Slovenia, binge drinking occurs most frequently among the younger population while excessive drinking increases with age.¹

Fig. 2 illustrates the percentage of the population who engage in binge drinking at least once and up to three times a month¹

The percentage of hazardous drinkers is higher for men than women; however, as binge drinking among women aged 25–34 years has increased in recent years, it can be assumed that this gender difference will decrease in the future.¹

Every day in Slovenia, two people die for reasons exclusively connected to alcohol. Since 2008, an average of 881 people have died every year in Slovenia as a result of alcohol use, a mortality rate, which is above the European average.¹⁸⁻²² Men die more frequently from alcohol-related causes than women, two thirds of them before the age of 65. In addition, an average of 75 people die every year as a result of traffic accidents caused by drunk drivers.⁸ Thus, at least 956 deaths a year are preventable. In 2014 in Slovenia, at least 4368 years of potential life were lost solely as a result of deaths due to harmful use of alcohol (on average 9.8 years per person who died before the age of 65).⁹

Ten people are hospitalized every day due to alcohol-related harm, which adds up to an average of 3876 admissions a year.^3,10 Although the number of admissions has been decreasing in recent years, the data indicate that the health status of those admitted is poorer than in the past.^3,11

A population survey conducted among Slovenian adolescents in 2012 showed that 40% of 15 year-olds had their first alcoholic drink before their 13^th birthdays (Fig. 3).^12-15 Binge drinking is more frequent among boys but the gender differences have decreased in recent years.

Fig. 3. Percentage of 15-year-old adolescents having drunk alcohol at age 13 or younger, Slovenia, 2002−2014

Despite the legal ban on selling or serving alcohol to under-aged adolescents¹⁶, one third of 15 year-olds has engaged in binge drinking at least twice in their life. Alcohol seems easily accessible to youth in Slovenia, ^17-22 for example, in their own or friends’ homes, at gas stations or in bars where they have little trouble buying it. When asked why they drank alcohol, they described doing so as a way of fun and relaxation, ^23-26 and the results of its effects as rather positive.²⁷

In 2011, more than half of the 15 and 16 year-olds (56%) had experienced being so drunk that they could not walk or talk properly, had vomited or had not been able to remember what happened.²⁰ The number of hospitalizations due to acute alcohol intoxication has been increasing among Slovenian adolescents (15–19 years) in recent years; in 2012, as many as 186 were admitted to hospital for this reason.^10,28,29 Acute alcohol poisoning is also the main reason for administering intoxication treatment to children aged 7–14 years in hospitals.^28,29 In 2014, hospitalizations due to acute alcohol poisoning in people under 19 years of age accounted for 5% of all hospitalizations resulting from harmful use of alcohol.⁹

Alcohol related costs

For the period 2011–2014, health costs related to alcohol use in Slovenia were estimated on average at €153 million per year.^30,31 Adding a rough estimate of costs, for example, of traffic accidents, crime, domestic violence and theft, brings the amount to €234 million (Table 1).^30-32 On the other hand, annual revenue from excise tax on alcohol and alcoholic beverages in recent years has amounted only to approximately €90 million.³³

Table 1. Estimated health and other costs related to alcohol use, Slovenia, 2011–2014

Sources: Economic impact of hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption in Slovenia;³⁰ Internal calculations of economic impact of hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption in Slovenia 2012–2014;³¹ Alcohol consumption, alcohol dependence and attributable burden of disease in Europe: potential gains from effective interventions for alcohol dependence;³² State Budget 1992–2016.³³

Sources:

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