The Belgians, it is well known, have a reputation for knowing how to party. But often the party is accompanied by alcohol, which is not a problem in itself. The concern is that we now see that young Belgians are consuming alcohol earlier and earlier, with the first drink consumed on average between 12 and 14 years old. This seriously increases the risk of addiction, which worries some specialists.
Indeed, if one of the factors of alcohol addiction is genetic, other factors can cause you to fall into these problems. “There is also the environment in which we are: if we have a family that is used to drinking a lot, it is a risk factor. We live in a very alcoholic society, in one of the countries where we consumes the most. Impulsivity or attention disorders can also promote dependence”tells us Thomas Orban, doctor specializing in alcohol addiction, co-author of the book “Alcohol without taboos”.
38% of the population having consumed a glass of alcohol before their 15th birthday without even experiencing lifelong addiction! “We are not all equal in front of the product, it is something that many people ignore”, confirmed by the way Thomas Orban. To avoid this kind of problem, it is better to limit consumption to keep a notion of pleasure, and not that it becomes a reflex.
In Belgium, 82% of people aged 15 and over drink alcoholic beverages. Which doesn’t make them addicts, fortunately.
