European Alcoho... / Resources / Country Profiles / Switzerland
Switzerland
In Switzerland, just under 5% of the population (300,000 people) is alcohol-dependent. Alcohol dependency mainly affects those aged over 40 years, but increasing numbers of young people (20-30 years) are becoming alcohol-dependent.
A 1998 survey of people from 15 to 74 years found that among the sample of 15–24-year-olds, 2% of the sample consumed alcohol at a frequent risky (more than two standard drinks or 20 g of pure alcohol a day) and heavy episodic level (for men consumption of five or more drinks and for women four or more drinks on one occasion more than twice a month). [1]
The unrecorded alcohol consumption in Switzerland is estimated to be 0.5 litres pure alcohol per capita for population older than 15 for the years after 1995 (estimated by a group of key alcohol experts). [2] In 1999/2000, it was estimated that there were 2000 hectolitres of pure alcohol consumed as illegal distilled clandestine or contraband. [10]
In 1998, more than 2100 people died as a result of alcohol abuse. Of those deaths, 40% were caused by diseases of the digestive system – in particular pancreatitis and cirrhosis of the liver. Road accidents, falls and suicides were the other significant causes of death. 9 A study sample among patients admitted to an emergency room showed that 21% of the traffic accidents involved intoxication, 97% of intoxicated were male and 38% were in the age group 16–29 years of age; 28 % of victims of single-vehicle crashes were intoxicated while 17% of victims of multi-vehicle crashes were intoxicated; and 45% of moped drivers and 42% of pedestrians were intoxicated. [12]
As a whole, 30,000 years of life are potentially lost in Switzerland that are attributable to alcohol consumption among those aged 15 to 74 years. This represents around 8.7% of all potential years of life lost in Switzerland. [3]
In 1998, alcohol abuse resulted in more than 800.000 medical consultations and 500.000 days in hospital. The direct cost of alcohol-attributable illness (medical/hospital treatment costs and spending on re-education programmes) is estimated to be 553.6 million Swiss francs for that year.9 In 1998, almost 2800 people were claiming an invalidity allowance owing to alcoholism, with an average invalidity level of slightly over 90%. Alcohol-induced invalidity is responsible for a production loss of 179.3 million Swiss francs – 129.9 million Swiss francs in production for the market and 49.4 million Swiss francs in domestic activities. [9]
[1] Chiffres et données sur l'alcool et les autres drogues. Lausanne, Institut suisse de prévention de l'alcoolisme et autres toxicomanies, 2003.
[2] Alcohol per capita consumption, patterns of drinking and abstention worldwide after 1995. Appendix 2. European Addiction Research, 2001, 7(3): 155-157.
[9] Jeanrenaud C et al. Le coût social de l'abus d'alcool en Suisse. Neuchâtel, Institut de recherches économiques et régionales, 2003.
[10] Consommation d'alcool 1880–2000. Bern, Régie fédérale des alcools, 2001.
[12] Wyss D et al. Characteristics of 167 consecutive traffic accident victims with special reference to alcohol intoxication: a prospective emergency room study. Sozial-und Praeventivmedizin, 1990, 35(3):3–11.
