The Spanish Society of Epidemiology has launched an awareness-raising campaign to reduce alcohol consumption and warn people about its dangerous effects, such as the increase of traffic accidents, unprotected sex, or violent behaviour. Drinking alcohol increases the risk of cancers, cardiovascular, neurological, and mental diseases. In Spain, it is estimated that alcohol consumption begins at the age of 14 and 1/3 of the teenagers admit getting drunk once a month.
The IDAEA-CSIC researcher Miren López de Alda, from the ENFOCHEM group, has participated in the campaign. Miren’s work consists of estimating alcohol consumption from the analysis of one of its metabolites in wastewater.
With this campaign, they want to denormalize alcohol consumption: drinking alcohol should stop being a usual and positive practice. Two videos have been recorded showing the influence of advertising on people and the unknowledge of alcohol’s effects on human health.
