Lisbon, Oct. 4, 2026 (Lusa) - Alcohol dependence has almost quadrupled in Portugal over the last decade, but only 20% of patients are receiving treatment, the Institute for Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies warned on Sunday, acknowledging that the country has failed to curb the problem.
In an interview with the Lusa news agency, the president of the Institute for Addictive Behaviours and Addictions (ICAD), Joana Teixeira, argued for the need to strengthen prevention, early detection and access to treatment.
Joana Teixeira emphasised that Portugal is one of the countries with the highest prevalence of alcohol consumption and has a very high rate of alcohol dependence, arguing that alcohol treatment services must be able to respond to these situations.
«It seems to me that, in recent years, we have failed to implement the necessary measures to control the prevalence of alcohol consumption, on the one hand, and to treat patients, on the other, because the prevalence rate of alcohol dependence has quadrupled over the last 10 years. That is serious. It is very serious,» she stressed.
For Teixeira, one of the main concerns relates to the fact that there is a significant gap between the number of people with alcohol-related problems and those who actually access treatment services.
On average, only 20% of patients are in treatment centres, she explained.
In view of the growing problem of alcohol consumption and the demand for services to treat alcohol use disorders compared with other substances, ICAD's top priority has been to strengthen the response capacity of alcohol treatment centres.
ICAD also plans to improve the early detection of cases and the referral of identified individuals to treatment facilities, whether run by ICAD or other institutions.
The aim is to ensure that people in need of intervention have access to appropriate care, as many of the identified cases remain untreated, she explained.
To this end, alcohol treatment units are being restructured, with new therapeutic intervention programmes – some more flexible and others more structured – in an attempt to tailor treatment to the needs of each patient.
«Rather than a standardised treatment that is the same for everyone, our priority has really been to have an effective treatment programme, with proven clinical efficacy, that is sufficiently flexible and adaptable to the needs of each patient,» said Teixeira, explaining that this measure «significantly improves the quality of care provided by alcohol treatment units».
She also advocated for greater integration of care and coordination with other institutions, particularly with hospitals and clinics (Local Health Units - ULS).
She noted, however, that there remains a lack of awareness that alcohol dependence is a disease which, once detected and diagnosed, requires appropriate treatment.
Among young people, one of ICAD's concerns is excessive episodic alcohol consumption, known as binge drinking, which is often associated with psychological and emotional distress.
The most recent data show a decline in various indicators of alcohol consumption amongst young people, although there are still signs of concern regarding episodes of intoxication and problems associated with consumption.
Joana Teixeira argued that the later alcohol consumption begins, the better, due to the effects of alcohol on brain development.
«As alcohol is neurotoxic, it will ultimately affect neuronal and cognitive maturation,» she stated, adding that, whilst the brain is not yet fully formed, «any intake of alcohol is particularly harmful to brain development».
ICAD runs prevention programmes for young people and also aims to involve schools, families and other organisations in health promotion, believing that the response to problems related to alcohol and other addictions cannot be limited to health services.
The institute is also focusing on raising awareness of addictive behaviours, including amongst healthcare professionals, to improve early detection.
Joana Teixeira believes there is still little awareness that addictive behaviours encompass not only illicit substances, but also alcohol, gambling, video games and problematic internet use.
HN/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
