Estimating the economic burden of alcohol in Slovenia

WHO Europe and the Ministry of Health in Slovenia arranged a workshop to estimate the economic burden of alcohol consumption in Slovenia

As a part of a biennial collaborative agreement for 2010-2011 between WHO and the Ministry of Health, a workshop with more than 30 Slovenian experts was arranged. The workshop aimed to come up with an estimate for the economic burden of alcohol consumption in the country. Alcohol consumption in Slovenia is relatively high – above the average for countries in the European Union – and an understanding the economic burden of alcohol-related diseases is needed to advocate relevant anti-alcohol policy in the country.

An associated topic is inequality, where income levels and alcohol consumption in Slovenia are clearly linked. People who live in municipalities with the lowest income-tax base per capita have greater risks of premature death from both causes wholly attributable to alcohol (2.5 times greater for men and 2.8 times greater for women) and liver cirrhosis (3.1 times for men and 4.5 times for women). In addition, drinking habits show a significant gender difference: both heavy drinking and episodic heavy drinking are five times more likely among men.