Up to 900,000 Czechs over 15 drink excessively every day, Report Finds

As many as 900,000 people over the age of 15 in the Czech Republic consume excessive amounts of alcohol daily, according to new data presented in the 2024 national reports on alcohol and drug use. These findings were shared during a press conference by Pavla Chomynová, head of the National Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Addictions. The experts estimate that alcohol consumption costs the country around CZK 80 billion annually—approximately one percent of GDP—and contributes to about six percent of all deaths in the Czech Republic.

The report defines drinking habits across four categories, from abstinent to harmful consumption. Harmful levels, linked to serious health damage, begin at more than 60 grams of ethanol per day for men and over 40 grams for women—equivalent to several beers or multiple servings of wine or spirits. Based on this threshold, around 6 to 10 percent of the adult population, or between 600,000 and 900,000 individuals, consume alcohol at harmful levels. An additional 15 to 18 percent, or up to 1.6 million people, are at risk due to high but not yet harmful alcohol consumption.

Excessive drinking at least once a week affects up to 13 percent of Czech adults—21 percent of men and seven percent of women. Although daily alcohol use dipped during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been slowly rising again. Researchers also note that Czech society remains tolerant of alcohol use, with three out of ten respondents viewing regular drinking as acceptable, and alcohol being widely and easily available.

The situation among young people is also alarming. Nearly a quarter of 15-year-olds, five percent of 13-year-olds, and a smaller share of 11-year-olds report having been drunk multiple times. In the past month alone, 60 percent of teenagers aged 15 to 19 consumed alcohol, and four percent reported drinking almost daily. Girls, the study finds, are beginning to match boys in drinking frequency and intensity.

Alcohol is linked to the deaths of 6,000 to 7,000 people annually, with 2,000 to 3,000 dying from liver disease or overdose. Another 13,000 to 14,000 people are hospitalized every year due to alcohol-related illnesses. In 2024, around 7,700 people received treatment for alcohol dependence in psychiatric hospitals, while an additional 23,000 were treated elsewhere. Therapeutic communities currently offer just 275 places for patients, highlighting the gap between need and available care.

The national helpline for quitting alcohol, 800 350 000, has been active since 2019, and campaigns such as “Dry February” aim to raise awareness—though they have faced criticism from alcohol producers.

Chomynová noted that the current capacity of treatment services covered by public health insurance is insufficient, with average waiting times for treatment reaching up to two months. More people are now turning to non-medical addictology clinics, aftercare centers, and low-threshold facilities, which have seen rising demand.

The report also highlights the widespread misuse of psychoactive drugs. Roughly 275,000 people mix alcohol with medications such as sedatives, sleeping pills, or opioid painkillers. Between 1.1 and 1.4 million people—12 to 15 percent of the population over 15—use these medications for more than six weeks or in ways not prescribed. Women are affected twice as often, and usage tends to increase with age. Some users, including the chronically ill, lose control of their drug intake, while others turn to these substances as a replacement for other drugs. With easy access to prescriptions, and additional supply coming from family, friends, or the illegal market, the availability of psychoactive drugs in the Czech Republic remains dangerously high.

Source: CTK