• Nicki-Nils Seitz, Kirsten Lochbühler, Josefine Atzendorf, Christian Rauschert, Tim Pfeiffer-Gerschel, and Ludwig Kraus.
• IFT Institute for Therapy Research, Munich; Department of Public Health Sciences, Centre for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden and Institute of Psychology, ELTE, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
• Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2019 Sep 2; 116 (35-36): 585591585-591.

BackgroundChanges in the use of psychoactive substances and medications and in the occurrence of substance-related disorders enable assessment of the magni- tude of the anticipated negative consequences for the population.MethodsTrends were analyzed in the consumption of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and other illegal drugs, analgesics, and hypnotics/sedatives, as well as trends in substance-related disorders, as coded according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). The data were derived from nine waves of the German Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse (Epidemiologischer Sucht- survey, ESA) from 1995 to 2018. The data were collected in written form or by means of a combination of paper and internet-based questionnaires or telephone interviews.ResultsThe estimated prevalence rates of tobacco and alcohol consumption and the use of hypnotics/sedatives decreased over time. On the other hand, increasing prevalence rates were observed for the consumption of cannabis and other illegal drugs and the use of analgesics. The trends in substance-related disorders showed no statistically significant changes compared to the reference values for the year 2018, except for higher prevalence rates of nicotine dependence, alcohol abuse and dependence, analgesic dependence, and hypnotic/sedative dependence in the year 2012 only.ConclusionTrends in tobacco and alcohol consumption imply a future decline in the burden to society from the morbidity, mortality, and economic costs related to these substances. An opposite development in cannabis use cannot be excluded. No increase over time was seen in the prevalence of analgesic dependence, but the observed increase in the use of analgesics demands critical attention.

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