Czech Republic is concerned about excessive alcohol consumption, misuse of psychoactive medicines and online gambling (press release)

The Czech Republic's 2022 Summary Report on Addictions warns that the number of adults at risk of problem drinking or overuse of psychoactive medicines remains high. Up to a third of adults are at risk of addictions. The network of addictology services is undersized, unable to meet the demand for care. The situation is improving among young people, and the prevalence of substance use in this population group is declining.

The report confirms positive trends from previous years and highlights a further decline in the prevalence of substance use among young people. This trend is linked to changes in adolescent lifestyle, the availability of digital technologies and the influence of social networks. The availability of alternative tobacco and nicotine products, which are less risky from a health point of view, has an impact on the declining rates of cigarette smoking among young people. The popularity of these products are also increasing in the adult population, with e-cigarettes being used by around 5-7% and heated tobacco products by 3-7% of adults, being also used for smoking cessation. However, the numbers of smokers of conventional cigarettes are not yet changing.

More information

Full text of the press release and the Summary Report on Addictions in the Czech Republic 2022 (Souhrnná zpráva o závislostech v České republice 2022) have been published in Czech only.

The introductory chapter, containing an overview of the situation, is also available in English - on this website under Addiction Reports tab.