Wednesday, February 7, 2024, 11:25 a.m
like – Absenteeism due to alcohol problems continues to rise in Schleswig-Holstein. According to a current evaluation by AOK NordWest, a total of 44,685 working days were lost by AOK members in the northern economy in 2023. That is 12.4 percent more than in 2022 with 39,758 days lost. In order to prevent the negative effects of excessive alcohol consumption, the AOK NordWest recommends trying out how abstinence from alcohol affects you personally at the beginning of Lent from Ash Wednesday (February 14th) to Easter. “Living healthily and consciously is the trend. More and more people are making avoiding alcoholic beverages the focus of their lifestyle. And giving up alcohol for a while is good for the body and soul and can contribute to a more conscious and risk-free approach to alcohol,” says AOK CEO Tom Ackermann.
Abstaining from alcohol has many benefits
Even a short-term abstinence from alcohol benefits the cardiovascular system, as well as the stomach and liver. Avoiding alcohol also has a positive effect on sleep, blood pressure, ability to concentrate and body weight. In addition, the risk of cancer is reduced and the immune system is strengthened. “If people with a tendency to ‘binge drinking’ or ‘loss of control behavior’ manage to provide ‘proof’ by abstinence for several weeks that they can cope with their everyday lives without alcohol, that can be seen as a success,” says Ackerman.
Men are more likely to have alcohol problems
A total of 26,080 AOK insured people in Schleswig-Holstein were diagnosed with an alcohol problem in 2022; almost three quarters of those affected were men. This is also reflected in hospital admissions: Last year, AOK policyholders had to be treated as inpatients in Schleswig-Holstein clinics in 2,437 cases due to problematic alcohol consumption. Here too, the proportion of men was 75 percent.
A survey by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) also confirms these numbers. According to this, 28.1 percent of adults in Schleswig-Holstein are binge drinkers. They reported consuming six or more alcoholic drinks on at least one day per month over the past 12 months. Here too, men at 35.1 percent are significantly higher than the proportion of women at 21.4 percent. Another 11.8 percent said they regularly drank a lot of risky alcohol. People who drink alcohol regularly usually do not initially attract negative attention. It usually takes years before medical treatment is provided.
Question your own drinking habits
For many people, alcohol is simply part of everyday life. In the short term, alcohol can relax you. However, regular alcohol consumption has a significant impact on health and can lead to alcohol dependence. “People often choose drinks containing alcohol without thinking – be it at the end of the day, when meeting friends or with a meal. That’s why it’s important to question your own drinking habits every now and then,” says Ackermann. The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) specifies a maximum tolerable alcohol intake for healthy men of 20 grams of alcohol per day, which is 0.5 liters of beer or two glasses of wine. The daily dose of pure alcohol for healthy women is half. The latest recommendations from the German Center for Addiction Issues (DHS) on dealing with alcohol indicate that alcohol consumption should generally be reduced and that it is best for physical health not to drink alcohol at all.
Consequences of alcohol consumption
Alcohol is a cell toxin that can damage basically all organs. The consequences of alcohol consumption can be more severe for women than for men. Because women break down alcohol more slowly. This requires the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver, which is present in smaller quantities in women. Therefore, even with smaller amounts of alcohol consumed regularly, alcohol-related damage can occur more quickly. Our brain matures by the age of 25. Therefore, the administration of the cell toxin alcohol has extreme consequences, especially on the formation and connection of nerve cells up to this age. Concentration and memory problems and impairments in social behavior can make everyday life significantly more difficult. Especially when the course is being set for your professional future.