Alcohol abuse: Will liberal Germany ban teenage drinking?

Beer and wine are innate to Germany's cultural identity, yet 1.6 million people living in the country are addicted to alcohol. Social media influencer Toyah Diebel thinks that needs to change, so she began by changing herself. In November 2018, she quit alcohol and sent a message to her more than 90,000 followers: "Alcohol is just not cool!" 

"Alcohol is a drug. It might be legal, but that doesn't make it any less dangerous," she told DW. "I'm disturbed by how our society deals with it. Germans grow up with alcohol — I'd almost say it's in our DNA. It's considered good form to drink alcohol, even starting at a very young age because it's trivialized and has been normalized." 

German legislation is very liberal 

In Germany, 18-year-olds can purchase any kind of alcohol and drink it in public spaces. Moreover, 16- and 17-year-olds can buy and drink beer and wine. Even as young as 14, young people are allowed to drink beer in their parents' presence — so-called "accompanied drinking." That legislation has long been problematic for German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, who wants to amend the Youth Protection Act to abolish "accompanied drinking."

But Diebel believes that "accompanied drinking" is not Germany's biggest problem. She thinks politicians should focus on those who drink at a young age without their parents present. Although the statistics show that children and young people in Germany are consuming less and less alcohol, one figure is still worrying: Every year almost 2,000 people under the age of 15 end up in hospital emergency rooms due to alcohol poisoning.

"How do they get hold of alcohol so easily?" she wonders. Diebel knows that young people want to experiment and gain new experiences — especially with prohibited substances. That's just a part of growing up. But she believes that people need to see alcohol as a drug rather than a stimulant. 

"We need to talk more about the risks, as we did with tobacco. And that changed things. Why not do the same with alcohol?" Diebel asks.

Burkhard Blienert has been posing the same question. The politician from the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD)  has been the federal government's Commissioner for Addiction and Drug Issues since January 2022, and has long called for "accompanied drinking" to be abolished. He is glad that Lauterbach agrees, and that some states want to follow his lead.

"It doesn't matter whether it is alcohol, cannabis or cigarettes — from a health perspective, none of them should be in the hands of children and young people," Blienert told DW. "We are more informed today than we were thirty or forty years ago: Alcohol is extremely harmful to health — especially for young people."

He believes that the concept of "accompanied drinking" is outdated — and negligent: "Just because parents are sitting beside young people drinking beer and wine doesn't make it healthier for them. In all of Western Europe, Germany is the only country that has such a regulation."

The center-right Christian Democratic Union party (CDU) is opposed to any change, arguing that "accompanied drinking" helps young people learn how to use alcohol responsibly within a family environment. 

One in nine teenagers declare 'problematic consumption'

Rainer Thomasius, medical director of the Center for Addiction Issues in Children and Adolescents at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, is also surprised by Germany's lax attitude toward young people's consumption of alcohol.

His recent survey of 4,000 people between the ages of 12 to 17 found that one in nine declared they have a "problematic consumption" of alcohol, implying that their health is already suffering.

"In Germany, we have an especially big problem with alcohol consumption among young people. And alcohol poisoning is a major consequence of that — it often leads to hospitalization," Thomasius told DW. 

Alcohol causes violence, anxiety and depression

Thomasius highlights other ramifications: Young drinkers become more impulsive and uninhibited, and also more anxious and depressed. Boys cause accidents and show violent behavior more often, while girls more often fall victim to unwanted sexual acts. Most importantly, according to Thomasius, neuronal development is disrupted, which leads to a decline in learning and intelligence. 

"It has been known for many years — and it is well documented — that early consumption of alcohol during puberty is a major risk factor for regular alcohol consumption as an adult, and for developing an addiction to alcohol. Those who start drinking alcohol early on have an increased likelihood of becoming dependent on alcohol later in life." 

Powerful alcohol lobby pressures politicians

If Thomasius had his way, he would prohibit the consumption of beer and wine-based drinks for anyone under 18. He says at the very least it should be banned for those under 16. But he says it is an uphill battle and prevention has long been neglected in Germany.

"We have been asleep at the wheel for decades with respect to alcohol prevention in Germany," Thomasius said. "The biggest adversary to prevention is the alcoholic drinks industry, which is very powerful. It has had a very strong lobby for many years, which reaches right up into the political bodies."

"I would increase taxes significantly on alcohol — on spirits, beer and wine-based drinks. Because we know that taxation is an effective preventative measure," Thomasius suggests. 

Clamping down on alcohol advertising is slow to arrive

Toyah Diebel would go one step further, recalling a point from the government coalition agreement signed by the SPD, Greens, and neoliberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) in 2021: "We will tighten the regulations for marketing and sponsorship for alcohol, nicotine and cannabis."

Not much of that has been implemented, Diebel points out. She sees the debate on "accompanied drinking" as a sham, designed to get "cheap applause."

These are the actions the influencer would undertake: "A ban on advertising for alcohol would be the first step. And it is absurd that alcohol is so cheap. In our country, the stubbies are placed at the supermarket checkout at children's eye level. Alcohol is available everywhere; there are no regulations. The tax rate makes it a paradise for the producers. Then there is the problem of the lobbying: Minister Lauterbach should take a look at that, rather than focusing on some 14- to 16-year-olds sitting at a table with their parents."

This article was originally written in German.

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