ABSTRACT
Compared with some other substances, the detection of alcohol abuse by hair analysis has some particularities. Alcohol is consumed in much higher amounts by a much higher portion of the population in almost all countries. For instance, the mean daily dose per person is nearly 28 g in Luxembourg, about 23 g in France and in Germany, and about 14 g in the U.S. [1]. However, there is a large variation in the drinking behavior of the individuals. As an example, in Germany, 17 to 23% of the population are abstinent, about 40% are weak drinkers (1 to 10 g/day), 32 to 38% are social drinkers (11 to 60 g/day), and 4 to 5% heavily abuse alcohol or are dependent on alcohol (61 to more than 400 g/day) [2]. Alcohol is socially well accepted and is an essential economic factor in most countries, despite its immense risks for health, its high addictive potential, as well as the increased risk of accidents and the large number of offenses that occur under its influence.
