This is the result of a representative survey “Doping in everyday life” commissioned by the Anton Proksch Institute Vienna Foundation and carried out by the Institute for Social Aesthetics and Mental Health at the Sigmund Freud Private University Vienna.
High number of unreported cases of drug addiction
An estimated 150,000 Austrians are addicted to medicines. However, due to the presumably very high number of unreported cases, the actual number is much higher; estimates put the figure at up to 300,000 people.
“It is therefore difficult to provide precise information because drug addiction, like no other addictive disease, takes place in secret and those affected remain socially inconspicuous for a very long time.”
Prim. Dr. Wolfgang Preinsperger, Medical Director at the Anton Proksch Institute, one of Europe's leading addiction clinics
Closing the data gap
While the scientific literature on alcohol or drug addiction is very extensive, there has been little research results on drug addiction to date - a data gap that the present study is intended to help close. In the first part of the study, the sample of 1000 people was surveyed by telephone by Gallup Austria. In an additional survey in October 2021, the pandemic-related consumption and everyday doping trends were examined using an online survey.
Everyday doping includes the obligatory morning coffee, the cigarette before work, the espresso in the afternoon break or even the glass of wine in the evening to relax on the couch. But medications and nutritional supplements are also taken specifically to influence the psyche and improve performance in healthy people.
COVID: Psychological stress significantly increases medication use
The burden on the population caused by the COVID-19 pandemic remained significant in October 2021. Almost a third of those surveyed (26 percent) felt psychologically stressed. 19 percent said they were physically stressed. The economic/financial burden (22 percent) was also at a high level. In general, women reported higher psychological stress than men at all three measurement times.
Against this background, consumption behavior for tranquilizers and/or sleeping pills, painkillers or stimulants was surveyed in order to shed light on the influence of the psychological stress factors caused by the pandemic on medication consumption.
“If you look at the group of people who stated that they felt psychologically stressed by the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significantly greater increase in the use of painkillers. People who are mentally stressed take painkillers about twice as often as those who do not experience themselves as being mentally stressed. A similar result can be seen with sedatives or sleeping pills. Stimulants are actually taken about three to four times more often by people who are mentally stressed than by people who are not.”
Prim. Dr. Wolfgang Preinsperger
The study also shows: In addition to the actual effect of the respective substance class, indirect effects play a major role as a motive for taking drugs. For example, painkillers are also used to self-treat depressive symptoms.
Irregular working hours encourage the use of sedatives
16 percent of those surveyed said they had taken benzodiazepines, i.e. medications used as sleeping pills or sedatives, at least once during the pandemic. There was a clear increase in consumption here: 48 percent of people who took sedatives experienced an increase, while only seven percent experienced a decrease. Its use is most common among teenagers and young adults up to 30 years of age.
Noticeable: People with frequently changing working hours are almost twice as likely to say they take benzodiazepines than those with regular ones (65 percent versus 38 percent). It can be assumed that in these cases sleep disorders are “treated” with benzodiazepines. However, the short-term relief of sleep problems is offset by long-term negative effects such as sleep disorders and the development of dependency.
Painkillers: Significantly excessive consumption among people with migration experience
Almost half (45 percent) of the general Austrian population aged 16 and over said they had taken painkillers at least once since the start of the pandemic. Consumption behavior does not appear to have changed during the pandemic, but it has been shown that younger people report taking painkillers significantly more often than older people.
Almost a third of painkiller users take them several times a week, but first-generation migrants take them about twice as often as people without a migration background or second-generation migrants born in Austria. Eleven percent of Austrians take more painkillers than prescribed by a doctor. For first-generation migrants, this figure rises to 33 percent.
Stimulants are particularly common among younger people
Four percent of those surveyed have taken stimulant substances since the beginning of the pandemic. 38 percent of people taking stimulants experienced an increase and 24 percent experienced a decrease. Taking stimulant substances is almost twice as common among adolescents and young adults up to the age of 30 as among older people (nine percent).
Stimulating substances to support everyday coping
In an increasingly fast-paced and performance-related everyday life, many people turn to stimulating substances in order to be able to exploit their full potential when completing various tasks or to put themselves in a desired emotional state. Particularly in stressful situations, everyday doping is intended to achieve a desired state.
According to the study, the greatest stress is in the professional context (approx. 70 percent at work versus 40 percent in family and relationships and 30 percent in leisure time). Nevertheless, the income motive of enhancement in the leisure sector predominates. Occupational stress seems to continue in leisure and family life. In order to achieve or maintain subjective performance and well-being, numerous substances are used.
Caffeine and alcohol are particularly widespread
Almost every Austrian consumes drinks and foods containing caffeine. In 2019, three quarters of Austrians over the age of 18 consumed alcohol at least once. Almost half of those surveyed take nutritional supplements. 41 percent of those surveyed said they had taken painkillers in the last year. A quarter of Austrians smoke at least occasionally, almost ten percent take tranquilizers and one percent take stimulants. With the exception of caffeine, women use all substances more frequently to increase performance and well-being, while men use the substances mentioned more frequently as medication to combat stress.
This might also be of interest: COVID-19: New insights into the processes of recovery after a serious illness
The study “Doping in everyday life” is available on request - inquiry note:
bettertogether communications agency
Mag. a Raphaela Pammer
T +43 660 4 313 121
r.pammer @bettertogether.at
About the Anton Proksch Institute Vienna Foundation Founded in 1956 as the “Genesungsheim Kalksburg” foundation, today's Anton Proksch Institute Vienna Foundation looks back on decades of experience in the areas of research, teaching, early detection as well as outpatient and inpatient treatment (including rehabilitation and (re-)integration approaches) of addictions. It also holds 40 percent of API Betriebs non-profit GmbH. Mag. Richard Gauss, Head of the Social Affairs, Health and Sport Business Group of the City of Vienna (MA 24), currently serves as President.
If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:
📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.
Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!
* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )

