Are 7-35% of South Africans ‘addicted to alcohol’? Unpacking the data

In an August 2024 episode of PodcastAndChillWithMacG, one of the largest podcasts in Africa, Kamogelo Matsemela, marketing coordinator of the South African-based online betting platform Tic Tac Bets, claimed that 7% to 35% of people in South Africa are addicted to alcohol.

While discussing how Tic Tac Bets’ unique marketing approach sets it apart from other gambling platforms, Matsemela compared these figures to a lower percentage of people he described as ‘addicted’ to gambling.

But what does the data show? 

Image: Pixels/George Bakos

Harmful drinking vs addiction

When contacted, Matsemela provided several sources to support the claim.

He shared a 2023 article by Badisa, a social development organisation, titled “World Drug Day”. The article stated that “although demographic data on substance use are limited in South Africa, nationally 10.3% of the adult population (15 years and older) are estimated to consume alcohol at harmful levels (16.5% of men and 4.6% of women)”.

A study published in the African Journal of Psychiatry in March 2011 stated that risky, hazardous or harmful drinking was reported by 9% of survey participants: 17% among men and 2.9% among women.

The last article shared was by the International Society of Substance Use Professionals, published in February 2021. It cited the National Drug Master Plan (2006 – 2011) which wrote that “alcohol remains the primary drug of abuse in South Africa. Indications are that between 7.5% and 31.5% of South Africans have an alcohol problem or are at risk of having such a problem”. 

This report defined a “drinker at risk” as “someone whose health is likely to be affected by drinking or who is or is likely to become an alcoholic”.

The sources Matsemela provided generally refer to harmful or hazardous drinking rather than addiction. 

‘Addiction’ less common than other terms in alcohol harm research

Addiction Group, an online addiction information resource, explains that addiction is a long-term condition where someone repeatedly seeks and uses drugs, even when it causes harm.

However, the term addiction is not commonly used in research on alcohol abuse. Instead, “heavy episodic drinking (HED)” is preferred. This is defined as “consuming 8 glasses of standard drinks of 15 mL (12 g) of absolute alcohol for males and 6 glasses of standard drinks of 15 mL (12 g) of absolute alcohol for females on one occasion at any location at least monthly”.

Prof Charles Parry is a substance abuse policy analyst. He said that “when looking at the harm associated with drinking, an extremely important indicator is the extent of heavy episodic drinking”. Of current drinkers in South Africa, 43.0% are estimated to engage in HED. The figure was 50.9% for male drinkers and 30.3% for female drinkers, he said. 

2.4% of South Africans are dependent on alcohol

According to the World Health Organization‘s (WHO) global status report on alcohol and health, 2.4% of South Africans are dependent on alcohol. The percentage of people with alcohol use disorders, a broader category which includes dependence as well as other issues associated with alcohol use, is 7.%.

According to the WHO, when a person shows signs of losing control over their use of a psychoactive substance which, when consumed, has the ability to change consciousness, mood or thinking process, prioritises its use over other important parts of their life, and their body starts adapting to the substance, it indicates a dependence on the substance. 

The data from Parry and the WHO indicates that while there is a significant number of South Africans who engage in heavy episodic drinking, only 2.4% are classified as alcohol dependent. 

Conclusion

The marketing coordinator of a South African-based online betting platform recently claimed that 7% to 35% of people in South Africa are addicted to alcohol. However, the term addiction is not commonly used in research on alcohol abuse. Instead, “heavy episodic drinking (HED)” is preferred. 

While 43.0% of South African drinkers are estimated to engage in HED, according to the World Health Organisation, 2.4% of South Africans are classified as alcohol dependent. 

The claim is therefore misleading. 

This report was written by Nsuku Shiluvana, a journalism honours student at North-West University, as part of a mentorship programme by Africa Check, the continent’s first independent fact-checking organisation. The programme, funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), aims to foster the practice of fact-checking across the continent.