Univ. Prof. Dr. Otto Lesch: Alcohol – Friend or Foe? Lecture at the Symposium on December 21, 2022, at the Billrothhaus

Alcohol is a global cultural heritage, yet drinking habits vary widely across different cultures. For example, the French consume red wine regularly but in moderation with their main meals, whereas the Irish often drink excessive amounts over just two weekend nights, consuming as much as the French do over an entire week. In Russia, vodka is often consumed in large quantities and at any occasion.

In both cases, alcohol abuse has severe negative effects on health and life expectancy. Regular excessive consumption frequently leads to dependency, and not only on alcohol. Prof. Lesch refers to these cases as symptomatic psychoses, which apply to all toxic substances, including alcohol, drugs, sugar, and nicotine. Addiction follows the same pattern, regardless of the substance involved.

Those who manage to overcome alcohol addiction must be careful not to develop a new form of dependency. When alcohol and nicotine abuse occur together, the risk of serious health damage, especially cancer, increases by up to 80%.
However, moderate alcohol consumption—especially red wine—can have health benefits. The safe threshold is considered to be 24 grams of pure alcohol per day for men, equivalent to up to three glasses of 125 ml wine. For women, the limit is 16 grams, or two glasses per day.
As Paracelsus famously stated: “The dose makes the poison.”
For an alcohol self-assessment, Prof. Lesch recommends the following link:

🔗 www.lat-online.at

About Univ. Prof. Dr. Otto Lesch
Prof. Lesch led the Alcohol Research Program at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the AKH Vienna and is a specialist in psychiatry and neurology.