The consumption of tobacco and alcohol in Portugal has increased over the past five years.

The prevalence of tobacco use in Portugal increased from 48.8% to 51% between 2017 and 2022, while alcohol consumption increased from 49.1% to 56.4%, and the use of sedatives is 13%, down from 22.% 5 in 2001.

This data is part of the 2022 National General Population Substance Use Survey V, conducted by the Addictive Behavior and Addiction Intervention Service (SICAD), which provides the most up-to-date information on illicit and legal substance use. , gambling and screen.

Among the psychoactive substances studied, tobacco ranks second (after alcohol) in terms of prevalence of use, with about 50% of the population aged 15 to 64 reporting that they used tobacco at some point in their lives. was launched in 2001 and then repeated in 2007, 2012, 2016/17 and 2022. under the leadership of the research group of the Interdisciplinary Center for Social Sciences of the University of Nova de Lisbon.

“The prevalence of current consumption (over the past 30 days) is always lower than recorded last year. This is because the number of experiences without continuation or abandonment during this period does not exceed new experiences in the past month, ”the authors of the study, which included 12,000 respondents representative of the population, cited.

In the general population (15–64 years), the prevalence of tobacco use in the last 30 days increased slightly in 2022, reaching 31.9%, compared to 30.6% reported in 2017, which is associated with increased consumption by men . , increasing from 36.5% to 40.8%, while women’s consumption decreased from 25% to 23.4% over the same period.

Analyzing the population of young adults, the study shows that current consumption follows a pattern similar to that recorded for recent consumption (last 12 months) and higher than for the general population (15–64 years old), except for 2022. when they decrease.

“Between 2017 and 2022, the prevalence of current consumption among young people decreased from 37.4% to 27.8%, while the share of men decreased from 39.6% to 35.8% and women from 35.3% to 19.6%,” according to a study presented today at the event. at SICAD in Lisbon, which precedes the celebration of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

For alcohol, the data suggest that the prevalence of lifetime consumption (75.8%) has decreased since 2017 (86.4%) and is close to the values ​​recorded between 2001 and 2012, but taking into account current consumption (in the last 30 days), prevalence increases from 49.1% to 56.4% between 2017 and 2022, despite the fact that it does not reach the values ​​of 2001 and 2007 (about 60%).

The prevalence of binge drinking (rapid and excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages) at least once in the last year is 10.3% for the entire population, which is similar to the values ​​of 2012 and 2017, while the consumers are mainly men aged from 25 to 44 years old.

More severe binge drinking (one or more times a month in the past 12 months) reported 6.1% and this prevalence is increasing compared to 2012 (3.4%) and 2017 (5.1%) .

In terms of prevalence of sedative use, the study shows that it was among the population aged 15 to 64 at 13% in 2022, while it was 12.1% in 2017, after it reached 22.5 % in 2001, 19.1% in 2007. and 20.4% in 2012

“Of all the psychoactive substances we studied, this is the third most pronounced after alcohol and tobacco,” the researchers emphasize, adding that, unlike alcohol and tobacco, sedative consumption is higher in women (16,9). %) than in men (9%), and this pattern persisted.

The prevalence of sedative use among young people (15–34 years) is about 2% in 2022, the lowest level, and this decrease is mainly due to the progressive decline in consumption by women, which is increasing from 6.1% in 2001 up to 1.9%. % in 2022.