We drink more and more. Even though the problem is starting to grow, the facilities that help to overcome addiction are scarce and not adequately financed. The report prepared by the Ministry of Health is not optimistic. Will Poles have serious problems with alcohol abuse in the near future?
During the presentation of the report, the Parliamentary Team for Addiction Problem Solving discussed, inter alia, on the availability of alcoholic beverages and additional sources, the prevention and treatment of addictions is financed.
Even though Poland has one of the highest excise duties on alcohol in the European Union. The proceeds from the sale of alcohol are very high. In 2015, over PLN 11 million, i.e. over 17%, fell into the state treasury. total excise tax receipts. The representative of the Ministry of Finance assured that the ministry was monitoring the alcoholic beverages market on an ongoing basis and was analyzing possible modifications to the tax system. – There are currently no works aimed at changing the regulations on the level of taxation of alcoholic beverages – she stressed .– Alcohol consumption in Poland is increasing, this is something that, from the public health perspective, is a major concern for the Ministry of Health, Deputy Minister Zbigniew Król said during the team meeting . So, are changes to the law necessary?
The increase in alcohol sales should be worrying, but that’s not the only problem. Local governments are less and less involved in the fight against addiction and are reluctant to implement preventive programs. – Such programs were implemented in 660 communes, an increase “year on year” by approx. 9%. The reports show that 272 participated in them. children, with the involvement of approx. 18 thousand. teachers and 57 thousand. parents – informed Dariusz Poznański from the Department of Public Health of the Ministry of Health. Local governments, he said, spent about PLN 6 million on recommended programs.
Much more – almost 1600 – municipalities implemented other, more original, preventive programs, the effectiveness of which has not been confirmed. This type of classes was attended by PLN 1,5 million students, 72 thousand students. teachers, 213 thousand parents. The communes allocated over PLN 37 million to these preventive programs. Other activities that are implemented as part of prevention include – as Poznański mentioned – incl. lectures, talks, competitions, sports events. But this does not satisfy the health department. – We constantly encourage local government units to use the recommended programs in the first place, so that the effectiveness of the funds spent is as high as possible – he explained. In fact, local governments increase the availability of therapy and rehabilitation as well as legal and psychological assistance for addicts and their families as much as possible, the lack of money means that they are forced to give up on them. – In 2010, it was 53 percent. municipalities, in 2015 as much as 60 percent. communes did not allocate any funds for this, informed Poznański.
Fortunately, the money is and is to come from the Fund for Solving Gambling Problems, established in 2009, whose sources of income come from number games. These funds are used to finance – as he enumerated – five types of activities, incl. supporting research on addictions and improving the quality of prevention and therapy. – At the end of December 2016, the expenditure amounted to approx. PLN 9,2 million, i.e. 70 percent. annual plan – Poznański announced.
He recalled that since 2015, the Fund’s resources can support other tasks in the field of public health, e.g. related to mental health. – Last year, we started competition procedures for other tasks financed from the Gambling Fund, concerning not only behavioral addictions, but also the prevention of depression or suicide – he said.
What do we drink the most? A survey conducted by TNS Polska shows that we most often drink beer. The second place is taken by wine and clear vodka. Next come drinks, whiskey, flavored vodka, liqueur, tincture and tequila.