Around a million Poles are addicted to alcohol while two to three million regularly get drunk, Roman Catholic Church officials have warned.

A hundred years ago, alcohol consumption by Poles ranged from one to three litres per person a year. Today, Poles consume the equivalent of around 10 litres of pure spirit per person a year, according to officials.

The Polish Catholic Church has unveiled a National Sobriety Programme which aims to encourage collaboration between the government, local government authorities, NGOs, civic movements and the Church in order to promote abstinence.

The organisers of the programme are not calling for total prohibition but want access to alcohol to be limited and prices to be higher, Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.

The Polish Church on Sunday launched a Week of Prayer for the Sobriety of the Nation.

(pk/gs)

Source: IAR