In France, only 8% of people dependent on alcohol or subject to abuse are taken care of according to the results of an Opinion Way mirror survey for Lundbeck laboratories. A ridiculous figure, whereas alcohol still causes 49,000 deaths each year in our country.
This lack of follow-up can be explained by several factors if the survey is to be believed:
– 40% of patients took between 2 and 5 years before discussing the problem with their doctor. Addiction is a taboo disease, shameful for the patient who does not dare talk about it, even within the framework of medical confidentiality. In addition, 2 out of 3 patients underestimate their problem with alcohol.
– General practitioners, often the first point of contact for patients, consider themselves poorly trained to detect patients and ensure follow-up. However, they are the best placed to follow the patient on a regular basis and refer him if necessary to an addictologist.
Faced with this observation, the Lundbeck laboratory (which markets Selincro, a drug that helps control alcohol consumption) has developed a support to help general practitioners in the fight against alcoholism. It also offers a general public campaign to help and encourage people addicted to alcohol to talk about this problem with their doctor. This is based on radio spots that evoke the everyday life of a patient dependent on alcohol: with family, as a couple, at the office.
Read also:
– Infographic: the painful effects of a hangover
– Alcoholism: drinking a little too much, what is it?
