[Prevalence of hazardous alcohol use].

Determining the prevalence of reckless drinking indicates the degree of the problem in the population at risk and can provide an opportunity to prevent the development of harmful effects. The authors assessed the prevalence of hazardous drinking in Hungary by applying the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), which is widely used in international research and has good reliability indicators, as well as other psychopathological measures in a nationally representative sample (N=1200). 32.9% of the male drinkers (N=449) and 10% of the female drinkers can be regarded as being at risk. Applying the 8-point screening criteria of the AUDIT, it was found that 8.3% of the total sample can be regarded as drinkers at serious risk. This rate was 14.6 % for men and 2.7 % for women. Men scored significantly higher than women in all items of the questionnaire. Consumption of alcohol was markedly higher among men aged 45-64 years, in contrast with the younger age groups and the group over 64 years. In the case of women, we found significantly higher average total scores for the youngest age group (18-29 years) compared to the older age groups. The Hungarian prevalence data found in the present research project do not differ significantly from the earlier findings of Hungarian and international studies.