Number of families with addiction problems on the rise

The Left Party in the Saxon state parliament is calling for more support for families in which parents have an addiction problem. "Even in times of tight budgets, there must be easily accessible help services everywhere in Saxony," Left Party health expert Susanne Schaper told the German Press Agency. She had requested data on this topic from the Ministry of Social Affairs via a minor question in parliament.

According to the data, the number of clients with children in addiction counseling rose from 886 in 2020 to 3,225 in 2023. Figures for 2024 are not yet available. Leipzig and Dresden led the way in counseling with 499 and 438 clients respectively. At least 735 children were affected in Leipzig and 698 in Dresden.

Linke assumes a high number of unreported cases

"There are many reasons why a person can become addicted. Your own children are never to blame, but they suffer particularly badly when mom or dad - or in the worst case both - suffer damage to their health as a result of drug use," emphasized Schaper. Unfortunately, a high number of unreported cases must be assumed, as the statistics only record those addicts who seek help.

Schaper does not believe that the sharp increase is due to a statistical effect. "We can only speculate as to where the increase is coming from, there have certainly not been more offers - but perhaps more advice centers are now participating in the statistics," said the MP. However, the problem of the number of unreported cases remains.