Almost eight million people in Germany drink too much alcohol. Psychiatrist Dr. Andreas Jähne works with people whose tendency to get drunk has become an addiction. A conversation about the dark side of our social lubricant.
On average, every German drinks almost ten liters of pure alcohol per year. So, from a societal perspective, we drink often and enjoy it. So are we all alcoholics in the end, Mr. Jähne?
There are actually few people in Germany who do not consume alcohol at all. However, it is important to me to emphasize that not everyone who regularly consumes alcohol is an alcoholic. We use the term a bit loosely these days and are quick to label people. There are clear criteria that must be met for this disease.
What criteria are these?