About 30 times a year, the educator Viktoria Joelle Moll visits teenagers and young adults who have landed in a German hospital after consuming excessive amounts of alcohol.

She and her colleagues are particularly busy at Halloween and during carnival. They often call the local hospitals in the morning to find out who was admitted during the night and ask whether they can come in for a chat.

"Our experience in hospitals is that nobody is admitted because they've just had too much beer. This is about high-proof spirits mixed with soft drinks," she told DW.

Moll works for Update, a specialist addiction prevention and advice center for children, young people and parents in the German city of Bonn. The center offers talks, advice and workshops in schools to prevent young people from drinking to excess.

"The younger people are, the more important it is for them not only to be aware about drugs, alcohol and their effects, but also to learn to say 'no,' to be able to relax without drugs........

© Deutsche Welle