Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder
Published on: June 23, 2023
Alcohol dependence figures in the swiss general population: a sisyphean challenge for epidemiologists
1Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems, Lausanne, Switzerland. hkuendig@sfa-ispa.ch
Background:
Research in Switzerland and elsewhere calls for valid estimations of alcohol dependence figures at the population level. As none of the methodologies developed for this purpose has proven to possess higher validity over others, this study follows the idea of methodological triangulation and compares estimates to assess their convergence.
Methods:
This study considers 6 standard methodological approaches to derive 17 estimates for alcohol dependence in the Swiss general population.
Results:
Estimates from statistics on cirrhosis mortality and from the application of external pool estimates agree with the central tendency of adjusted estimates derived using standard alcohol-related screening tools in population surveys. The number of alcohol-dependent individuals living in Switzerland is expected to be close to 250,000 (i.e. approximately 3.9% of the population aged 15 or older).
Conclusion:
Due to variations in estimates, it is difficult to report consistent figures for alcohol dependence at the general population level in Switzerland. Nonetheless, observation of an unambiguous central tendency and the convergence of estimates support their validity.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Hypothesis Test for Test of Independence
H0: The two variables (factors)...
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Drug Dependence
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques IV
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena

