150,000 people in Austria are drug addicts. The majority are women. The Corona crisis has exacerbated the situation.
Alarming numbers in Austria! According to an ongoing study in which 1,000 compatriots were interviewed on the internet for the Anton Proksch Institute, an estimated 150,000 people in Austria are dependent on medication.
Dark figure probably twice as high
However, the number of unreported cases is likely to be much higher, with experts estimating it at 300,000. “An exact statement in this context is difficult, because drug addiction like no other addiction takes place in secret and those affected remain socially inconspicuous for a very long time,” said Wolfgang Preinsperger, medical director of the Anton Proksch Institute.
Accelerator for “everyday doping”
Above all, the pandemic is seen as an accelerator for drugs like everyday doping. Nearly a third of all study participants surveyed felt psychologically stressed by the corona pandemic. 19 percent also spoke of physical ailments and more than 20 percent had financial problems during the pandemic.
Striking: women reported a higher psychological burden than men. Preinsperger continues: “If you look at the group of people who reported being psychologically stressed, there was a significantly greater increase in the use of painkillers.”
Painkillers to cope with everyday life
Overall, more than 40 percent of those surveyed said they had used pain relievers in the past year. Young people also take painkillers more often than prescribed, especially in order to excel in professional life. According to the study, people with a migration background are twice as likely to use drugs to cope with everyday life.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
