Growing cases of alcoholism-related mental illness in Macau

The number of people in Macau seeking help due to alcoholism-related mental illness is growing significantly, the president of the Association for Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers of Macau (ARTM), Augusto Nogueira said in an interview with public broadcaster TDM.

Nogueira’s comments came amid the latest report from the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS), which noted a significant rise in drug consumption in Macau in 2023 when compared to 2022.

The ARTM president noted that he is more concerned with the growing number of cases of alcoholism, as most recent cases of people seeking help from the association are related to this issue and not to other drugs.

“We must do something about this. [Cases] of alcoholism associated with mental health issues are pretty high, which calls for more effective and assertive work on this matter and thinking about new measures [to tackle it] as we are assisting a high number of people seeking help with this kind of clinical profile,” Nogueira said.

Commenting on the 40% year-on-year increase in drug consumption in Macau, Nogueira noted that it is a reflection of the reopening of the borders and circulation of people after the pandemic. Although the percentage increase may seem high when compared to 2022, the numbers were actually lower prior to the pandemic in 2019.

As in earlier statements, Nogueira reaffirmed the need to treat the problem without resorting to increasing penalties for drug use, which he claims are disproportionate to the amount of drug use in Macau.

According to a statistical trend report from IAS, “ice” (crystal methamphetamine) and cannabis are growing in consumption.