The consumption of alcoholic beverages and drugs is decreasing in Portugal.
This is one of the conclusions presented in the reports on the Country’s Situation in Matters of Alcohol, Drugs and Drug Addictions, referring to 2024, which this Wednesday morning (February 18) are presented in the Assembly of the Republic.
In the documents, delivered by the National Coordination of Addictive Behaviors and Dependenciesit is reported that in the two years analyzed (2023 and 2024) a drop in “prevalence of consumption of any drug, reaching the lowest levels since 2015”.
Which, by the way, also happened with alcohol: “Among 18-year-olds, lifetime, recent and current consumption recorded two consecutive declines, also to lows since 2015”.
There is, however, a warning sign related to those who consume it. According to the reports “Girls presented, for the third consecutive year, a higher prevalence of alcohol consumption than boys”.
On the less positive side of this work is the fact that an “increase in the experience of drug-related problems among consumers has been detected, while dependence and high-risk consumption of cannabis in younger people also continues”.
Also with regard to alcohol, it continued to be verified “patterns of elevated/harmful risk and worsening dependence since 2012, although some indicators have stabilized in young people.”
Regarding drug consumption, cocaine appears as the most prevalent drug in overdoses in the last four years and, among those who started treatment, it reached the highest values in the last ten years in 2024, reinforcing the trend already observed in 2023.
In 2024, overdoses were falling, which, according to data released by the National Coordination for Addictive Behaviors and Dependencies, decreased by 18% compared to 2023, but the figures for the last four years are the highest since 2009.
A The vast majority of overdoses involve more than one substance, with the combination of illicit drugs + benzodiazepines + alcohol being common.
The number of people in treatment, both for drugs and alcohol, is rising, with 2024 and 2023 showing the highest figures since 2015.
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