Alcohol and tobacco: legal, but highly dangerous

Among the legalised drugs most widely consumed by the Spanish population, alcohol and tobacco stand out. 2 substances which are increasingly being consumed at a younger age and which, in the long term, can lead to serious health problems.

BY Àngela Zorrilla | 02 October 2023

Alcohol, with 76.4 %, and tobacco, with 39 %, are the two substances most consumed in the last twelve months, according to data from the latest Survey on Alcohol and Other Drugs in Spain EDADES 2022, published by the Spanish Ministry of Health. Their prevalence is also very high. More than 93% of the population aged between 15 and 64 say they have consumed alcoholic beverages at some point in their lives, followed by tobacco, which 70% of them say they have tried at some time in their lives.

How do tobacco and alcohol affect health

The problem, according to the Ministry, is that both substances are consumed at an earlier age; alcohol is first tried at around 16 and a half years and the first cigarette is taken, on average, at 16.6 years of age. These social habits can lead to physical or psychological dependence, which is why they are two of the most prevalent addictions in society.

Alcoholism and smoking are widespread practices in Mediterranean culture, but their lack of control leads to significant negative consequences for individuals. Excessive consumption of these two substances has been attributed, among other factors, to the appearance of certain diseases such as cirrhosis or some types of cancer.

Excessive alcohol consumption, in particular, causes important health problems such as gastritis and ulcers, renal, cardiac and, above all, hepatic disorders. In Spain, in fact, 40-50 % of cirrhosis cases are caused by alcohol consumption, which also contributes to worsening liver function in patients with other liver diseases.

Besides, the organism pains the harmful consequences of smoking as it affects many tissues, organs and systems, leading to major pathologies. In fact, deaths caused by tobacco addiction are higher than deaths caused by diseases such as AIDS or tuberculosis, by the consumption of any other drug, by traffic accidents, suicides or murders.

A trace of consumption

As legal substances in Spain, there is a formula for tracking the consumption of alcohol and tobacco. Both include a special tax in their price that allows their (legal) sales in the country to be controlled. Therefore, in the recent statistics (2022) published by the Spanish Tax Agency, it can be seen that consumption of alcohol and tobacco is increasing. On the one hand, 2182 million packets of tobacco were sold in 2022, 4.1% more than in the previous year. On the other hand, the consumption of alcohol and other alcoholic beverages reached 101 million litres sold in 2022, an alarming figure that represents an increase of almost 19% compared to 2021.

New forms of leisure

Until recently, tobacco and alcohol consumption was largely male-dominated and diseases such as cirrhosis or lung cancer were seen as common pathologies among men.

In recent decades, this situation is changing. The incorporation of women into new social roles has facilitated their access to this type of drugs and, in addition, in general, there has been a shift from moderate consumption linked to certain social moments to more compulsive consumption habits. Tobacco and alcohol are now a key part of weekend leisure, where consumers are increasingly younger and where large quantities are consumed in a short period of time just to experience new or pleasurable sensations.