STA, 6 March 2019 - A campaign urging people to abstain from alcohol for the next 40 days until Easter started on Wednesday for the 14th year running, reminding the public of the dangers of alcohol consumption.

The campaign, instigated by Slovenian Caritas, the Slovenian Traffic Safety Agency, and the prevention organisation Med.Over.Net Institute, is running under the slogan "For a responsible drinking culture".

It encourages a responsible attitude towards drinking "at home, on the roads, at work, in company or wherever", secretary general of Slovenian Caritas Cveto Uršič told reporters.

The campaign, coinciding with the Catholic period of Lent, supports everybody who is suffering due to the negative effects of alcohol consumption such as violence, accidents, or health problems.

Uršič pointed out the "extremely cruel" statistics in terms of alcohol consumption. At least 1,000 people on average die every year because of alcohol-related reasons. In the last five years, drink driving caused 7,907 traffic accidents in Slovenia, 157 deaths and 732 gravely injured.

"Alcohol often leads to domestic violence, workplace violence, and bullying. It can also result in unemployment and poverty or is caused by them," Uršič said.

The representative of Med.Over.Net Institution, Andreja Verovšek, stressed that giving up alcohol was a decision demanding a lot of persistence and support.

According to the National Institute of Public Health's (NIJZ) data, almost half of Slovenians between 25 and 64 years of age (43%) consume too much alcohol, crossing the recommended consumption limit.

Alcohol-related costs to Slovenia's health system for the period between 2012 and 2016 are estimated at EUR 147m per year. Including all other related costs, such as the ones caused by accidents and domestic violence, the estimate rises to EUR 228m.

The ambassador of this year's campaign, journalist and presenter Igor E. Bergant, said the campaign raised awareness of a major social problem, as well as sent a positive message of educating instead of judging.

He stressed the importance of a zero-tolerance policy while driving or working, and the importance of being a role model for children. Bergant also acknowledged that Slovenia's stance on alcohol consumption had always been over-tolerant and therefore problematic.

Slovenian Caritas has included older pupils of primary schools and high school students in the campaign, inviting them to contribute to the prevention project with their own ideas and creations. They were encouraged to consider maintaining relationships, health, prosperity, and fun without alcohol and other drugs.

All our stories about alcohol abuse and Slovenia can be found here

STA, 15 January 2019 - Slovenian traffic statistics have been improving rapidly in recent years, but despite the advances - the annual number of road deaths dropped below 100 for the first time in 2018 - there are some persistent problems, drink driving chief among them. Change appears to be on the horizon.

Statistics for 2018 show that excessive alcohol consumption was responsible for 22 of the 92 road casualties. This is down from roughly a third of alcohol-related deaths in previous years.

But police have found that all drunk drivers involved in accidents last year had very high blood alcohol content, which contrasts with the overall decline in blood alcohol content in random traffic checks.

This shows, according to traffic experts and driving instructors, that existing programmes for dealing with drunk drivers simply do not work for the worst repeat offenders.

Related: The drink driving limit in Slovenia

In mid-November, for example, police reported pulling over a driving school car. The trainee driver was breathalysed and was found to have been drinking.

Subsequent inquiries determined that he had already lost his licence twice, which is why he had to re-take the driving test.

Thousands lose their driving licence in Slovenia every year, many due to drink driving.

A total of nearly 6,300 licences were revoked in 2017, up from almost 4,300 in 2016, though down significantly from the early 2100s, when up to 9,000 licences were revoked annually.

But temporary revoking of a driving licence is merely the most radical measure, most drink drivers are just fined and get penalty points. Fines range from EUR 300 to EUR 1,200.

In total, those who lose their licence may end up paying up to EUR 3,000 to settle the fine and re-take the test (which may include additional practice hours with instructors). But the cost no longer appears to dissuade drivers from sitting behind the wheel drunk.

"For someone with 25 years of experience behind the wheel retaking the driving test is not the solution. Their problem is not that they lack knowledge. Such drivers would need different treatment," says Manuel Pungartnik, the head of the driving school at the automotive club AMZS.

Related: Food, Alcohol, Sex, Marriage, Divorce & Death: Recent Statistics on Slovenia

In the past another major problem was the forging of licences. There was a huge scandal in Slovenia several years ago when dozens of driving instructors and officials were found to have colluded to issue forged licences; most of those who bought the licenses had lost them due to drink driving.

Moreover, penalty points are erased after two years and when the most severe cases of drink driving get to court, judges are restricted to official records of fines, which are available only for the last three years.

This means they do not get the full picture of a driver's past conduct when they decide whether and how they will be punished.

Saša Jevšnik, the head of the Traffic Safety Agency's department for drivers, says the agency might propose a change of the rulebook.

There might be a restriction on how many times a driver who lost their licence may retake the test, and drivers who cause accidents drunk may be sent to do community work to "face the consequences of their actions," she said.

Infrastructure Minister Alenka Bratušek said after a recent meeting with a road safety NGO that her ministry would examine possible solutions to tackle drink driving, in particular repeat offenders.

"There should be no trouble finding political consensus," the ministry said.

STA, 3 January 2019 - Two police officers and a trainee from Kranj who had invited a teen friend to come along in their van while on night patrol last July have been dismissed in a final decision confirmed by a government commission, the newspaper Dnevnik reported on Thursday.

The case made headlines after the girl posted on Instagram recordings of her behind the wheel of a police van carrying smoking and boozing officers after a night shift on 11 July.

The video incriminated a 28-year-old head of the patrol and a 33-year-old police officer, as well as a 20-year-old trainee, who was allegedly the initiator of the idea.

The video shows that the girl was allowed to drive the van even though she did not have a driver's licence.

Earlier: Kranj Police in Trouble After Smoking, Drinking and Letting Teen Drive

What is more, the recordings show that the police officers were drinking spirits and smoking.

"Everyone on the job is a bit drunk, but I'm being a good girl," was the comment she posted on her profile.

Further inquiries also showed that the patrol misreported on their duties that night, including making up a false story about breathalysing a driver.

The three saw their employment contracts with the police terminated in August and they were banned from performing police tasks, but the procedure was not yet final due to the possibility of appeal.

According to Dnevnik, the dismissals are now final as they have been confirmed by the government commission for appeals related to labour relations.

The drink driving limit in Slovenia is a low one, and the penalties are strict.

Tonight, November 22 2018, a concert will be held in Ljubljana featuring the Police Orchestra and Vlado Kreslin. The occasion for this special event? A seasonal reward for drivers who were stopped around the St. Martin’s Day (Martinovanje) celebrations and achieved 0.0 on a breathalyser test. It’s a timely reminder as the season for office parties and social drinking is approaching that death on the roads doesn’t take a vacation, and that in addition to your own drink driving behaviour it’s a good idea to keep an eye on friends and loved ones at this time of year, and to plan for one sober driver or a taxi if needed.

The various drink driving limits in Europe. Wikimedia, public domain

The legal limit for ordinary drivers is Slovenia is 50 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood or 0.24 milligrams of alcohol per litre of exhaled air, while for beginners, professional drivers and other special groups total sobriety is required at all times.

Ideally no drivers should drink, but as a ready reckoner 350 ml of beer, 150 ml of wine and 5 ml of spirits will keep you under the limit, while two such drinks will put most people under 70 at or over the threshold, with gender, time since the alcohol was consumed, and food in the stomach being additional factors that influence the results.

Where clubbers can learn what’s in their pills and prevent a party turning into a nightmare. 

A round-up for some recent reports from the wonderful Republic of Slovenia Statistical Office (Statistični urad RS) and the National Institute of Public Health (Nacionalni inštitut za javno zdravje). 

STA, 21 June 2018- Slovenia has launched a nation-wide project in an effort to reduce the risk of alcoholism in the country. The project targets people with risky drinking habits who have not yet developed alcoholism. Alcohol consumption per capita in Slovenia is among the highest in the world. 

The cost of a “basket of vice”.