Drinking and driving

Drinking and driving. Somehow the two activities seem to be inextricably linked here, even though the laws against drunken driving were tightened up at the beginning of the year (look here for more information). Here's my translation of a recent article I found here.

459 drunken drivers caught in 1 week

In one week, police officers tested the sobriety of 39,397 drivers. A total of 459 drunken drivers were caught. The police department announced that 331 drivers were mildly intoxicated [.41–1.5 permille], 143 had a medium degree of intoxication [1.51–2.5 permille], and 48 were seriously intoxicated [>2.51 permille].

In Lithuania, as in many other European countries, the police organized a special campaign to test the sobriety of drivers on 8–14 December.

The initiator of this campaign was the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL).

The most drunken drivers were found in Kaunas County (88), Panevezys County (55), Vilnius County (53), and Siauliai County (51).

During a similar campaign that took place in Lithuania in December last year (10–16), 518 drunken drivers were caught.

During another campaign that was organized by TISPOL and took place on 2–8 June, police caught 491 drunken drivers.

In the first 11 months of this year, 469 traffic accidents were caused by drunken drivers, 38.3% (or 291 accidents) fewer than the amount that were caused by drunken drivers in that time period of the preceding year. That amounts to 10.4% of all registered automobile accidents in which people are injured. Of the accidents caused by intoxicated drivers, 42 people lost their lives (29 fewer [than in 2007]) and 709 were injured (445 fewer [than in 2007]).

Alcohol and the Easter Holiday

Another article from Delfi.lt (http://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/Health/article.php?id=16457699). This one is about the city of Panevėžys and the Easter holiday, during which most people got four days off. With a population of around 120,000, it's the fifth largest city in Lithuania. The translation is mine.

Long Weekend Not Complete Without Alcohol

The Easter holiday was a stressful time for police and doctors in Panevezys. Domestic conflicts, injuries suffered by drunken people, and people brought from bars and night clubs and off the street to sober up in the police station are all proof that people in our city still do not know how to celebrate without alcohol.

Paramedics working for the district [something like a county in the U.S.A.] responded to more calls than they had to during Christmas. Quite a few of the people who called for help were also drunk.

According to Regina Bucinskiene, spokesperson for police headquarters, the police responded to 501 incidents on 21–25 March, but most of them of minor. The most serious was when a drunken father was beaten by his drunken son and needed to be taken to hospital.

Bucinskiene reported that the police had to help settle 30 domestic conflicts and 59 people were taken to the police station. Forty-seven of those people had to spend the night there to sober up. Among those taken to the police station were nine minors. The most drunks, 16, were taken to the station on the second day of Easter [24 March]. Over the five long days of the holiday [I guess the author is counting Friday as well], there were 11 robberies, 2 muggings, and 255 traffic offenses (in which 13 drivers were drunk).

The police spokesperson emphasized that as usual during holidays there were extra police working.

Injuries suffered by drunks

Valentinas Andrejevas, chief of police at the 1st precinct, stated that the police were forced to pick up drunks from various locations: bars, night clubs, and the street. There were domestic conflicts and fights between young people.

Andrejevas reported that some of the drunks picked up were minors. One 16-year-old boy found on the street was suffering from alcohol poisoning and had a concussion. It is thought that the teen hit his head on the curb when he fell down.

According to Andrejevas, when the parents of the drunken minors arrived at the police station, some behaved properly and others defended their children and blamed the police. [That seems to be quite common here.]

In Panevezys District, the holiday was comparatively peaceful. On 22–25 March, eight police patrols checked 430 drivers and discovered 52 traffic violations, five of which were drunken drivers. Over the four days, 73 people reported incidents.

Vida Vienzindiene, chief paramedic in Panevezys District, reported that her office unexpectedly received the most calls, 45, on the first day of Easter [23 March]. People called for various reasons: illnesses got worse or people suffered minor injuries in conflicts. Those who suffered injuries were most often drunk.

Alcoholics have gotten younger

In the city there were no more calls for ambulances than there have been over other holiday weekends. Because the weather was wintry, some people were injured after slipping on ice and others suffered from problems with their digestion or hearts.

Lina Trokaj, head of reception at Panevezys Hospital, said that her department was flooded with non-emergency cases. Over the five days, about 400 people were checked in just because their family doctors were not working.

Most of those who were injured were also drunk, Trokaj said. She added that there were more drunken men than women and that some of the drunken people were minors.

Geidre Raudonikiene, chief psychiatrist at the Addiction Treatment Center, noted that the center was usually quieter during religious holidays. Over the past weekend, only four detoxification proceedures needed to be done.

According to the psychiatrist, the center expects more people to come in several days after the holiday since people always put off contacting them until the holiday has passed. There have been times after holidays when so many people wanted to be treated that the center ran out of beds and had to prescribe outpatient treatment.

Raudonikiene stated that recently many people have requested the treatment offered by the center. The reason for this may be that their prices are lower than other such treatment centers. She was quite upset to report that the age of people requesting treatment for the effects of alcohol has gone down quite a lot. More and more 18–30-year-old people on whose faces alcohol has already left its marks are asking for help. Most state that they began using alcohol at about the age of 13.

Will Lithuanians Drink Themselves to Death in Five Years?

I found this article here: http://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/Health/article.php?id=16268298. The translation is mine.

Will We Drink Ourselves to Death in Five Years?

Last year each statistical Lithuanian citizen consumed 14.3 liters (almost 3.8 gallons) of pure alcohol, 2 liters (half a gallon) more than was consumed in the preceding year. According to this statistic in the European Union, Lithuania is only surpassed by Hungary. In terms of teenage female drinking, Lithuania is in second place behind the United Kingdom. In terms of teenage male drinking, Lithuania is in second place behind Estonia. According to foreign experts, the alcohol market in Lithuania is expected to grow 35.5 percent in the next few years.

Teens drinking more and more

Dr. Aurelijus Veryga, the president of the National Tobacco and Alcohol Coalition, says that the quantity of alcohol consumed per person has risen on account of children.

"Some groups of adults simply cannot physically consume more alcohol. The quanitities mentioned earlier are calculated by counting all 3.6 million citizens, including babies. And many Lithuanians who are counted in these figures have in fact emigrated. Because of that, the actual amount of alcohol consumed per capita is somewhat higher. Besides, bootleg alcohol wasn't counted in those figures," Veryga said.

In 2006 there was a survey that asked teens whether they had ever been drunk. In the 11 and younger age group, 33.9 percent of girls and 39.6 percent of boys answered "yes". According to Veryga, this proves that children in Lithuania try alcohol at a very young age.

Further statistics: 12-year-old girls (22.4 percent) and boys (23.3 percent), 13-year-old girls (20 percent) and boys (17.3 percent), 14-year-old girls (13.9 percent) and boys (12.2 percent), 15-year-old girls (6.6 percent) and boys (5.8 percent), and 16+ girls (1.2 percent) and boys (1.7 percent). As strange as it may seem, the statistics do not favor girls. The reason for that could however be that girls are more honest. The statistics also clearly show the effects of alcohol on children. The smaller they are, the less alcohol is needed to get them drunk.

A survey conducted in 2003 showed that only 2 percent of teens 15–16 years old had never tried alcohol.

"That teens are drinking more is also proved by cases of alcohol poisoning. In 2001 only 19 children 7–14 years of age had experienced the toxic effects of alcohol. By 2006, this figure had risen to 269. The same can be seen in the 15–17 age group; the figure grew from 37 to 250," Veryga said.

By the way, according to teen drinking Lithuania was in much better shape in 1998. Out of 29 countries, Lithuania was 24th in terms of girls and 17th in terms of boys. But by 2006, out of 37 countries only girls from the United Kingdom and boys from Estonia drank more than girls and boys in Lithuania. 22.13 percent of girls and 29.33 percent of boys reported being drunk two times or more.

Vodka - the queen of drinks

Teens tend to drink cider and beer, but older people, both men and women, are more apt to trade weaker drinks for vodka, which is both stronger and cheaper.

For example, about 50 percent of 15–17-year-old boys drink beer and about 15 percent drink cider. But in the 25–30 age group, the popularity of beer begins to drop and vodka and other strong drinks begin to become more popular. People who are 65 and older choose vodka much more often than any other alcoholic drink.

Girls 15–17 years of age more are more apt to drink cider or alcoholic cocktails. In the 18–24 age group, there is very little difference in the amount of wine, cider and beer consumed. Women 25–34 years old more often drink wine, but older women tend to drink stonger alcoholic drinks.

"The use of alcohol is rising every year, and the forecast made by the market research company Euromonitor International--that the alcohol market would grow 35.5 percent over the next five years--is proving to be correct. The company showed that market growth was caused by people earning more, favorable laws, and quickly growing retail sales," Veryga said. According to him, although people in more developed countries make more money, they buy less alcohol than we do because of the high cost.

"Since Soviet times our purchasing power in terms of alcohol has grown about 10 times. Earlier with a Soviet paycheck a person could buy 10 bottles of vodka; now that figure stands at almost 100. And in fact people buy more, especially since various incentives are offered: discounts or free mugs, glasses, or CDs. People often rationalize a purchace by telling themselves they are buying for the future, but in fact by always having alcohol at hand, people drink more," Veryga said.

He added that since 1995 the alcohol law has been changed 24 times, but not in the right way; the laws regulating the advertisement and sale of alcohol became more liberal. Only recently has this trend been reversed.

In Lithuania the amount of money spent every month on advertising alcohol is an amazing sum--about 10 million litas (2.896 million euros or 4.566 million dollars). A large part of the advertising, especially for cider and alcoholic cocktails, is focused on a young audience. About 75 percent of underaged youth say they have no problems getting alcohol.

Rich people drink more often

According to a survey performed last year by RAIT, 56 percent of Lithuanians first tried alcohol while they were still underaged: 37 percent said that they had first tried alcohol when 14–17, 7 percent reported that they had first tried alcohol when 10–13, and 4 percent said that they had first tried alcohol when they were younger than 10.

Men more often reported that they had first tried alcohol when in their teens. Women and older respondents (55–74) were more often introduced to alcohol after reaching the legal drinking age.

Other statistics: 50 percent drink alcohol one time per month or less, 19 percent drink several times a month, 10 percent drink a least once a week, and 8 percent drink 2–5 times a week.

Those respondents 18–24 years old most often reported that they drink one time a week. The people most often drinking 2–3 times a week were people who were making an average of 901 litas (261 euros or 411 dollars) or more per family member per week and inhabitants of cities. Twelve percent of the people who reported that they had tried alcohol stated that they no longer drink.