The number of adolescents with alcohol poisoning fell slightly by 2.6 percent last year. However, according to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, 21,721 girls and boys between the ages of 10 and 19 still had to be treated for a rush in the hospital. The drug commissioner of the Federal Government, Marlene Mortler (CSU), announced on Wednesday in Berlin. In 2016, 22,309 young people had contracted alcohol poisoning.
According to the figures, teenage boys are still more affected by the problem than girls: of the 100,000 boys aged 15 to 19, 528 were affected. In same-age girls there were 376 alcohol poisoning to 100,000 adolescents.
Expand test purchases of alcohol
"Even if the numbers go down, we must continue to say it very clearly: Alcohol is not a food and absolutely nothing for children," said Mortler. It called on the federal states and municipalities to make more efforts to protect minors. For example, the test purchases of alcohol would have to be extended. In addition, on the whole better informed about the risks of alcohol consumption.
The German Federal Center for Health Education (BzgA) has been running the youth campaign "Alkohol? Kenn dein Limit" since 2009. BzgA leader Heidrun Thaiss said, "Current data on alcohol intoxications for young people point in the right direction, but their numbers are still too high, and each case is one too many."
Even among adults alcohol is still widespread in Germany. According to a survey by the World Health Organization, every German consumes an average of 13.4 liters of pure alcohol per year. That is more than twice as much as the average citizen of the world. More than half of alcohol consumption in Germany is beer, 28 percent is wine, 19 percent is spirits.
In the video: Rauschtrinken with 17
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BBC