[Incidence of alcoholism and problem drinking in Austria]

The prevalence of problem-drinking and alcohol dependence in Austria was assessed on the basis of two random samples of the general population drawn in 1995 (n=216) and in 1996 (n=531). Measurements were performed using the CAGE questionnaire (Mayfield et al. 1974). Both cut-off points (> or = 1, > or = 2) of the CAGE were used. Both samples showed a very similar prevalence of alcoholism. 2.2% (95% confidence interval 1.1-3.9%) of the Austrian adult population could be regarded as alcohol dependent (four positive CAGE answers). Using a cut-off > or = 2, 16-24% of the general population were rated as problem drinkers. The ratio of male to female problem drinking was found to be 3:1; this ratio increased to 4:1 for alcohol dependence. Subjects aged 18 to 59 years were found to be at greatest risk for problem drinking. Alcohol dependence showed an equal distribution among all age groups with a peak prevalence of 3.7% among 45 to 59-year-olds. Significant differences in test scores were found for gender in both samples, and for age in one sample; marital status had no impact on test scores. The findings reported in this study partly confirm the results of Austrian alcohol consumption surveys. Although our prevalence estimates rely on self-report and need to be validated by future epidemiological interview studies, the results indicate that alcoholism and problem drinking pose a major public health problem.