More than one in three Danes say they have experienced social, psychological or physical consequences of the way someone they know drinks, according to a new survey for the organization Alkohol & Samfund.
The survey was carried out by Voxmeter for Alkohol & Samfund and is described as representative. DR reported the findings on September 21, 2026. More than a third of respondents said they had felt consequences from another person’s drinking.
Among those affected, over half said the alcohol problem had led to arguments or conflicts. A further 7.7 percent said they had been subjected to violence.
Maria Koch Aabel, director of Alkohol & Samfund, described being a relative of someone with alcohol problems as a heavy burden. Per her account, the organization sees insecurity, loneliness, isolation and reduced quality of life. She also pointed to an increased risk of developing anxiety or depression.
Roughly half a million Danes have a moderate to severe alcohol problem, according to an estimate from Sundhedsstyrelsen, the Danish Health Authority. The new survey concerns the people around them rather than the drinkers themselves.
Researcher describes constant alert
Kirsten Søndergaard Frederiksen, assistant professor at the Center for Alcohol and Drug Research, said the results match existing research. She stressed that consequences vary considerably from family to family. Children and spouses living under the same roof are particularly exposed, she noted.
According to Frederiksen, relatives may lie awake at night worrying about where the person is. Some fear for their own safety if the person returns home unpredictable, or where there is violence or frequent conflict. She described it as a constant state of alert that accumulates over time.
As stated by Frederiksen, many relatives describe in interview studies that they neglect themselves while trying to manage problems at home. She added that children and young people in these families may be more likely to develop a problematic relationship with alcohol and drugs themselves.
Call for a legal right to help
Alkohol & Samfund proposes that relatives receive the same right to help as people who drink. Under the Danish Health Act, those with alcohol problems can claim free treatment no later than 14 days after contacting their municipality. Aabel called it fundamentally skewed that relatives have no equivalent guarantee.
Asked whether more focus on relatives would come at the expense of people with alcohol problems, Aabel said it is not an either-or question. She said that when relatives receive help, the person drinking often enters treatment earlier.
Frederiksen agreed that services for relatives should be made more uniform, as they currently differ depending on where in Denmark people live. She said help should be available to relatives regardless of whether the person with the alcohol problem is in treatment.
Both relatives and people with alcohol problems can call Alkolinjen for advice and support. The service is one of several anonymous phone lines in Denmark, alongside local municipal offerings.
