SPAIN NEWS: Increase in alcohol poisoning in Spain

ALCOHOL abuse in Catalonia, Spain has led to emergency services caring for a large number of young people every weekend.

According to data from the Department of Health, the Medical Emergency System (SEM) in Catalonia admits an average of 79 people under 30-years-old on Friday and Saturday due to alcohol poisoning.

In aim of raising awareness about the risk of alcohol abuse, Joan Guix, the Secretary of Public Health in Catalonia, stated that the consumption of alcoholic beverages remains “one of the most important problems in public health for Spain”. In Catalonia, each day an average of 27 people are treated at the emergency department for alcohol-related diseases.

Death is also increased through alcohol, where in Spain, around 36,000 people die each year from conditions related to alcohol abuse, such as cancer and liver disease, and which also includes traffic accidents caused by drunk drivers.

The figures have increased from last year, with deaths related to alcohol in Spain accounting for 4.5% of the country’s total mortality, where it is estimated that one in four deaths are young people between 20- and 24-years-old.

The effects of alcohol on the body increase over a period of time, with studies indicating the average person who is treated for alcohol addiction in Spain only asking for help after 20 years.

For this reason, we at Euro Weekly News understand that a campaign was launched across Catalonia this year, centred upon organisers of parties and festivals, which urged them to create safer and healthier environments through services that seek to prevent catastrophic cases of alcohol abuse.