More Drink, Drugs, Depression in Amsterdam

Amsterdammers drink more, smoke more cigarettes, and use more marijuana and hashish than anywhere else in the Netherlands, according to a new report by community health services organization GGD. 7,200 adults were included in the 2012 survey, which revealed that 11 percent also have feelings of deep loneliness, nearly triple the rate shown in 2000. "Moody Amsterdam" by Ryan Godfrey (via Flickr) The loneliness is predominantly seen amongst those who indicated they were either poorly skilled, a low wage earner, single, or from a non-Western country. Of the city's inhabitants, 28 percent smoke cigarettes compared to 23 percent across the entire country. Minor increases in the capital city's smoking population were reported amongst all men, and young adults. Over 100,000 Amsterdammers are reportedly heavy drinkers, with city residents showing a higher rate of alcohol abuse than the other major cities. More social issues are also connected to the demographic versus similar groups of people in the Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht. Roughly 16 percent of the Amsterdam population between 15 and 64 years of age have smoked cannabis within the last year. Nationally, the figure drops to seven percent.