860,000 Danes are casual alcoholics

Hundreds of thousands of Danes drink too much - and many of them don't know it.

As many as 860,000 adult Danes drink more than the weekly recommendation of no more than 21 units of alcohol for men and 14 units of alcohol for women.

Ordinary people
That number comes as something of a shock to chief physician Ulrik Becker, researcher specializing in alcohol use in Denmark at the National Institute of Public Health.

- I am surprised that the National Board of Health campaigns have not had a greater effect, he tells DR News.

- The problem with this group is that it's people like you or me, who have simply - as a matter of habit - wound up with an excessive alcohol consumption. And most people don't know that a consumption of alcohol which exceeds the National Board of Health limits is actually linked to a long list of diseases, says the chief physician.

Municipalities not doing enough
Many of the Danes who are casual alcoholics are not in any way aware that they consume too much beer, wine, or strong liquor. It has simply become a part of their daily lives.

And generally, the municipalities are not doing enough to deal with the problem, according to Ulrik Becker.

- Overconsumption of alcohol means a lot of added expenses for the municipalities. So you have to wonder that they haven't focused more on this issue, he says.

Today, a large alcohol conference will be held in Odense. Participants will discuss how municipalities should deal with the fact that alcohol problems are still taboo, and that there is a large group of so-called "casual alcoholics" in Denmark.

Translated by Martin Lamberth