2023-06-13 17:38:34
10% of French people have chosen to take up the “Dry January” challenge. They haven’t had a drop of alcohol in the month that marks the start of a new year. A figure that delights addictologists and illustrates the trend of the latest data published by Public Health France this Tuesday, June 13.
According to this study for 2021, “Between 2020 and 2021, in mainland France, the proportion of adults declaring alcohol consumption above the lower-risk consumption benchmarks decreased significantly, from 23.7% to 22%”.
To respect these “consumption benchmarks”it is recommended not to exceed 10 glasses per week, divided into a maximum of 2 glasses per day, while establishing a break of forty-eight hours without consumption. “The fact that the number of French people who exceed these thresholds is decreasing is very encouraging”rejoices Amine Benyamina, president of the French Federation of addictology.
According to specialists, the health crisis has left as a memory the “visio aperitifs”, but would also have allowed the French to reason their consumption. An evolution of habits between generations has also changed the game, with young people who consume high doses, but on an occasional basis and older people who are starting to give up their small daily drink.
41,000 deaths each year
Nevertheless, in a country with 42.8 million consumers of wine, beer and other spirits, “the culture of the metropolis with its wine regions, especially in rural areas, remains very rooted”, relativizes Antoine Gérard, addictologist at the Puy-en-Velay hospital (Auvergne). If the indicators of the health agency are considered encouraging, more than one in five French adults continues to exceed the recommended alcohol consumption limits in mainland France.
Cardiovascular diseases, neurological pathologies, cancers… The substance remains the cause of around sixty serious illnesses and 41,000 deaths each year. Alcohol is toxic to all organs, and “can for example affect the pancreas and cause diabetes or even fatigue the heart muscle and lead to hypertension”lists the addictologist.
The brain is also far from being spared, and too much alcohol consumption can lead to memory and balance problems. “People in their 60s think they are onset of Alzheimer’s when it is a degradation of the cerebellum”, an area of the brain affected by alcohol. These disorders due to vitamin B deficiency are reversible when they appear, but if alcohol consumption persists, “attacks of dementia can be permanent in the most severe cases”continues Antoine Gérard.
The increased risk of liver cancer
As for the different cancers, the one that affects the liver remains “one of the main causes of which are linked to alcohol, a substance whose toxicity acts directly on the organ and leads to fibrosis or even cirrhosis, serious enough to require a transplant”warns in turn Maya Gutierrez, medical oncologist at the Institut Curie.
According to Public Health France, nearly 20% of adults would like to reduce their consumption. This explains the success of addictology practices and proves, according to addictologists, “the effectiveness of prevention campaigns which must continue in this direction”concludes Amine Benyamina.
#consumption #falling #remains #high