Even before alcohol

Smoking is the most widespread addiction in Austria

A smoker in an outdoor bar

(Bild: APA/Helmut Fohringer)

Tobacco smoking is the most widespread addiction in Austria, ahead of drinking alcohol. Around one in five people smokes every day, as Gesundheit Österreich GmbH (GÖG) announced on Tuesday. However, young smokers are becoming less frequent.

"Among 15-year-olds, the proportion of smokers has more than halved since 2003," said Martin Busch from GÖG. According to a "survey on substance use" (2022), more than half of smokers would "think about" quitting. One in ten people had already made "concrete plans" to do so. "This holds great potential in terms of health policy. You just have to (...) help those affected to achieve what they want."

Nicotine products on the rise
However, "new nicotine products" such as nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes are on the rise, especially among young people. In the future, there could therefore be more people who are addicted to nicotine again.

Julian Strizek (GÖG)

(Bild: APA/Georg Hochmuth)

Martin Busch, Head of the Competence Center for Addiction at GÖG

(Bild: APA/Georg Hochmuth)

Another widespread addiction in Austria is the consumption of alcohol. "In a European comparison, we are in the top third in terms of per capita consumption," said Julian Strizek from GÖG. Around fifteen percent of the population drink so much alcohol that it damages their health. This mainly includes men between the ages of 40 and 70. For men, the "danger limit" is 60 grams of alcohol per day (about one and a half liters of beer or three quarters of a liter of wine), for women the limit is slightly lower at 40 grams (e.g. one liter of beer or half a liter of wine).

Here you can see a graph of Austria's drug-related deaths over time.

35,000 to 40,000 opioid addicts
The most common substance taken illegally in this country is cannabis, although this is often limited to a short period of life. Around 35,000 to 40,000 people in Austria are addicted to opioids. This includes heroin, for example. According to Busch, more than half of them are already being treated, which is a great success for addiction support.

Nevertheless, fatal overdoses are becoming more frequent. In 2022, 248 "drug-related deaths" were reported. Ten years ago, 122 people died as a direct result of their drug use.