Cost of alcoholism in Wroclaw - city budget and night-time prohibition

Wroclaw is the first major Polish city to phase in a night-time ban on alcohol sales gradually - first in 2018 in the Old Town area, then in 2024 across eight further districts, and from 9 October 2025 across the whole city. Between 22:00 and 6:00 you cannot buy alcohol in any Wroclaw shop or petrol station. The hard budget numbers behind this decision: in 2024 the city collected PLN 35.49 million from alcohol sales permit fees and spent PLN 37.27 million on alcoholism prevention and sobering-up centres. Even outlays this high are a fraction of the real costs alcohol generates at city level.

In brief

• Wroclaw alcohol fees 2024: PLN 35,495,602.96 in total - PLN 28.40 million from retail permits (113.6% of plan) and PLN 7.10 million from wholesale permits (100% of plan).
• 2024 spending on alcoholism prevention (chapter 85154): PLN 34,171,670.07 (92.9% of the PLN 36.78 million plan); sobering-up centres (chapter 85158, grant for WROPON): PLN 3,100,000 (99.8%).
• Total addiction spending: PLN 37.27 million - more than the income from fees, with the difference covered from the general budget.
• Citywide night-time prohibition in Wroclaw from 9 October 2025: City Council resolution no. XXIII/435/25 of 11 September 2025, hours 22:00-6:00, shops and petrol stations - restaurants and bars excluded.
• 2024 pilot in 9 districts: Municipal Police interventions down by over 15% and Police interventions by almost 7% year on year.
• Maximum number of alcohol sales permits: about 6 thousand in total - 3,375 for retail shops and 2,675 for hospitality venues across three alcohol-strength categories (resolution no. LX/1423/18 of 23 August 2018, amended by resolution no. XXIII/434/25 of 11 September 2025).
• Wroclaw population (GUS, 30.06.2025): 672,545 residents; University of Wroclaw estimates from December 2023: 893,506 including unregistered residents.

2024 budget - city earned PLN 35.5M, spent PLN 37.3M

Every business selling alcohol in Wroclaw (a shop, a bar, a restaurant or a wholesaler) pays an annual permit fee. The amount depends on alcohol category (up to 4.5%, 4.5-18% or above 18%) and turnover in the previous year - a new entrepreneur or a smaller-volume firm pays PLN 525 for beer and wine or PLN 2,100 for spirits over 18%, while higher-turnover businesses settle on a percentage of sales value. In 2024 these fees brought the city budget PLN 35,495,602.96 in total. Of this PLN 28,396,745.82 came from retail permits (113.6% of the PLN 25 million plan), and PLN 7,098,857.14 from wholesale permits. Spending under chapter 85154 (alcoholism prevention) reached PLN 34,171,670.07 against a plan of PLN 36.78 million, and under chapter 85158 (sobering-up centres) PLN 3,100,000. Together that is PLN 37.27 million - nearly PLN 1.8 million more than fee income alone.

2024 budget item	Plan after revisions	Execution	% of plan
Income from retail permit fees (ch. 75618)	PLN 25,000,000.00	PLN 28,396,745.82	113.6%
Income from wholesale permit fees (ch. 75618)	PLN 7,098,857.00	PLN 7,098,857.14	100.0%
Total alcohol income	PLN 32,098,857	PLN 35,495,602.96	110.6%
Spending ch. 85154 - Alcoholism prevention	PLN 36,775,882.00	PLN 34,171,670.07	92.9%
Spending ch. 85158 - Sobering-up centres (WROPON)	PLN 3,105,000.00	PLN 3,100,000.00	99.8%
Spending ch. 85153 - Drug prevention (from alcohol fees)	PLN 1,063,957.00	PLN 1,054,120.38	99.1%
Total addiction spending	PLN 40,944,839.00	PLN 38,325,790.45	93.6%

Source: Report on the execution of the City of Wroclaw budget for 2024, pp. 178-179 and 246-247 (BIP UM Wroclawia, 11.25 MB).

The largest item under chapter 85154 was grants to non-governmental organisations and city units - PLN 22,433,455.20 (93.8% of plan). This funded counselling and therapeutic help for people with addiction and their families, prevention programmes for children and youth in Wroclaw kindergartens and schools, the work of Abstainers' Clubs and Local Activity Centres, the WROPON centre for intoxicated persons, summer day camps "Lato w mieście 2024", the "Trener Osiedlowy" programme and social campaigns run jointly with neighbourhood councils. Investment outlays of PLN 3,385,031.50 included the modernisation of the building at 4/6 Owsiana Street to host the Centre for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, and investments in the support centre at 8 Popielski Street.

What the law says. Under article 18² section 4 of the Act of 26 October 1982 on Sobriety Education and Counteracting Alcoholism, income from alcohol fees must be spent solely on the municipal alcohol prevention programme and the drug prevention programme. The city may not use it for other purposes - but it can add money from the general budget if needs are greater. In Wroclaw in 2024 that meant an extra PLN 2.83 million on top of the fee base.

Night-time prohibition - three decisions in seven years

Wroclaw reached its citywide ban on night-time alcohol sales in three steps. In 2018 the City Council covered only the Old Town, where tourist traffic and concentrated hospitality generated the most resident complaints. In 2024 the ban was extended to eight further central districts: Szczepin, Nadodrze, Olbin, Plac Grunwaldzki, Powstancow Slaskich, Przedmiescie Olawskie, Przedmiescie Swidnickie and Huby. Together with the Old Town this gave nine pilot areas. The third step was resolution no. XXIII/435/25 of the Wroclaw City Council of 11 September 2025 (Official Journal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship of 24 September 2025, item 3906), which extended the ban to the whole of Wroclaw. The regulation took effect on 9 October 2025 and covers hours 22:00-6:00.

The ban applies only to retail outlets selling for off-premises consumption: grocery shops, supermarkets, hypermarkets, petrol stations, liquor stores and takeaway sales points at hospitality venues. Restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs with permits to sell for on-premises consumption operate unchanged - you can still order a beer or a glass of wine after 22:00.

Did the district pilot deliver results?

After one year of the ban in the eight new districts (the 2024 extension) the Wroclaw Municipal Police recorded over 15% fewer interventions against people drinking in public places and disturbing the night peace. The Police registered a fall of nearly 7% in similar incidents. This compares the year after the ban with the equivalent period before it, only for the pilot areas. The scale of the drop is smaller than in Krakow, where the ban covered the whole city at once and Police July interventions fell by nearly 70% over two years. That is a question of method. Wroclaw moved gradually, so the full picture for the whole city will only emerge after the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

In public consultations preceding the 2025 resolution, almost 60% of Wroclaw residents supported extending the regulation across the whole city.

The Wroclaw alcohol market - nearly 6 thousand permits

Wroclaw's retail and hospitality alcoholic beverages market counts over six thousand permits. Resolution no. LX/1423/18 of the Wroclaw City Council of 23 August 2018 (amended by resolution no. XXIII/434/25 of 11 September 2025) set the maximum number of permits for the sale of alcoholic beverages:

Type of outlet	Up to 4.5% + beer	4.5-18% (excl. beer)	Over 18%	Total
Retail shops	1,175	1,125	1,075	3,375
Hospitality venues	1,025	955	695	2,675
Total maximum	2,200	2,080	1,770	6,050

Source: BIP UM Wroclawia, case "Permit for sale of alcohol" (bip.um.wroc.pl/sprawa-do-zalatwienia/5995/zezwolenie-na-sprzedaz-alkoholu). Permits are issued separately for each of the three alcohol categories, so a single sales point typically holds 2-3 permits.

With Wroclaw's 672,545 residents (GUS data for June 2025) and over 6 thousand permits, in theory there is one permit for every 111 people, although some firms hold several permits for the same venue.

National context - PLN 185 billion a year

The latest study by a team from the SGH Warsaw School of Economics from December 2024 estimates the total socio-economic cost of excessive alcohol consumption in Poland in 2023 at PLN 185 billion. By comparison: the previous report by the State Agency for the Prevention of Alcohol-Related Problems from 2021 (data for 2020) put the figure at PLN 93.3 billion. In three years the amount doubled.

Cost breakdown (source: SGH 2024, cited in OKO.press and dlahandlu.pl):

• PLN 145 billion - losses from premature deaths
• PLN 22 billion - annual cost of treating alcohol-related injuries and diseases under the National Health Fund (NFZ)
• PLN 16 billion - total state revenue from alcohol excise, permit fees and the so-called "monkey fee"

That PLN 145 billion is not money that anyone transfers from one account to another. The method is called "human capital approach" and is used by the WHO and the World Bank to value the consequences of premature mortality. It counts how much work, taxes, pension contributions and contribution to GDP a person would have produced until the statistical end of working life had they not died early. For Poland we are talking mainly about men aged 35-64, whose average life expectancy is around 74 years - alcohol typically shortens it by 15-25 years. Those lost working years are converted into economic value at current wages and productivity. For the record: some economists use the alternative "value of statistical life" (VSL) method, which produces higher estimates - SGH chose the more cautious human capital approach.

The state collects from alcohol sales just over 8% of its real costs. The rest is paid by families, employers, NFZ and the justice system. In 2021 the number of alcohol-related deaths in Poland reached a record 14,048 cases, 40% more than in 2020 (KCPU data, "Addictions in Poland 2023" report).

NFZ data collected on ezdrowie.gov.pl for 2023 show that 19,967 patients were hospitalised due to the toxic effects of alcohol, and a further 25,560 people were treated in hospital for alcoholic liver disease. In total, around 120,000 patients were hospitalised in 2023 in connection with alcohol consumption.

How much of that lands on Wroclaw?

Wroclaw with its 672,545 registered residents represents 1.8% of Poland's population. Applying a cautious proportional extrapolation of the national PLN 185 billion gives roughly PLN 3.3 billion in annual social costs of alcohol at city level. That figure is nearly a hundred times higher than what Wroclaw spends on prevention. Using the University of Wroclaw estimate of 893,506 people in the city (including unregistered residents), the proportion rises to about PLN 4.4 billion a year. Whichever counting method you choose, it is clear why no Polish local government balances this account on its own.

In the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, to which Wroclaw belongs, the statistics directly linked to alcohol are among the worst in the country. In 2023 Lower Silesia ranked second in Poland for the number of detained drunk drivers per capita - 34.9 persons per 10,000 inhabitants. The national average of police interventions against drivers under the influence of alcohol in 2024 was 92,324 detentions - around 252 a day, 3.5% lower than in 2023. Drunk drivers caused 1,201 accidents, killing 151 people and injuring 1,428 (KGP data for 2024).

Blue Cards and alcohol-related violence

At national level in 2022 the "Blue Card" (Niebieska Karta) procedure was launched 83,196 times, with at least 71,600 people identified as suspected victims of family violence, 72.5% of them women. Wroclaw itself does not publish separate annual figures on the number of Blue Cards, but the Municipal Social Welfare Centre (Miejski Osrodek Pomocy Spolecznej) runs an Interdisciplinary Team for them, made up of 53 members - representatives of the police, MOPS, the prosecutor's office, the courts, education, healthcare, NGOs and the Commission for the Solution of Alcohol Problems. The team chosen in 2023 will serve a five-year term.

Polish research on domestic violence shows that in 45-82% of Blue Card interventions the perpetrator is under the influence of alcohol. In every large Polish city the correlation looks similar. In 2024 Wroclaw began, with funds from chapter 85154, the modernisation of the building at 4/6 Owsiana Street with a view to creating the Centre for the Prevention of Domestic Violence - a decision that clearly treats alcohol-related violence as a structural issue.

When informal support is not enough, the formal route of intervention is an application to the Municipal Commission for the Solution of Alcohol Problems (Miejska Komisja Rozwiazywania Problemow Alkoholowych). The Commission, operating under the Department of Health and Social Affairs of Wroclaw City Hall (4 G. Zapolska Street, room 339), can refer an application to the court to compel the addicted person to undergo treatment. We explain the procedure and grounds in the article Compulsory treatment of an alcoholic - how to file with the court.

Children and adolescents - statistical silence and ESPAD alarm

National estimates suggest that around 1.5 million children live in families with alcohol problems in Poland. The proportional figure for Wroclaw is 26-29 thousand children. The National Centre for Addiction Prevention (Krajowe Centrum Przeciwdzialania Uzaleznieniom) estimates the prevalence of the full spectrum of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in Poland at 20 cases per 1,000 births, and FAS itself at 4 per 1,000 births. Nationally this means around 9,000 new FASD cases a year.

The European ESPAD survey conducted by the National Centre for Addiction Prevention in 2024 showed that 73% of Polish students aged 15-16 and 91% of students aged 17-18 had ever drunk alcohol. Early age of alcohol initiation is one of the best-documented risk factors for addiction in adulthood - the presence of this cohort in the offices of addiction therapists in Wroclaw will probably show up in the second half of the 2030s. The adult-life consequences of growing up in an alcoholic family are described in the article Adult Children of Alcoholics - the ACoA syndrome.

Prevention, treatment, neglect - three levels of the bill

The city's bill has three levels of completely different orders of magnitude. Wroclaw spends PLN 37.27 million a year on prevention, treatment and sobering-up centres. That is the level where money is meant to prevent problems before they erupt. The second level is treatment: a hospital stay due to an alcohol-related illness costs in Poland on average several thousand zloty, and a six-week stay on a NFZ rehabilitation ward costs PLN 10-15 thousand. Nationally NFZ spends PLN 22 billion a year on treating alcohol-related injuries and diseases.

The third level is the bill for neglect: premature deaths, lost productivity, broken marriages, road accidents, domestic violence, children growing up in chaos. Across Poland that is PLN 185 billion a year, and the proportion for Wroclaw is PLN 3.3-4.4 billion. Every zloty put into prevention or early treatment saves several dozen zloty at the level of consequences. Only prevention does not make headlines - the drama only starts when someone ends up in hospital or with the police.

Which treatment methods have research backing?

Patients in Wroclaw have several methods at their disposal that fit well together:

• Alcohol detox in Wroclaw - outpatient infusion detoxification under medical supervision in 3h, 6h or 12h variants, at the surgery at 11b Dworcowa Street or as a home visit. The drip replenishes electrolytes and B vitamins, while medications control withdrawal symptoms.
• Esperal in Wroclaw (alcohol implant) - an implant with disulfiram, which provokes a strong aversive reaction after drinking alcohol. It requires at least 24 hours of full abstinence before the procedure, with action lasting around 8 months, after which reimplantation is possible.
• New-generation pharmacotherapy - naltrexone, acamprosate, nalmefene. They do not cause aversion but reduce alcohol craving and stabilise the nervous system after years of drinking.
• Addiction psychotherapy - individual or group, in cognitive-behavioural or motivational mode. Without work on thinking patterns and emotional regulation, abstinence alone rarely lasts more than a few months.

We have collected all options on the alcoholism treatment in Wroclaw page. The choice of method depends on drinking history, health status, patient motivation and family situation. The first step should always be a consultation with a specialist, not buying medication on your own. We write about how a family can start a conversation with an addicted person in the article How to deal with an alcoholic - tips for the family.

Frequently asked questions

How much did Wroclaw earn from alcohol fees in 2024?

In 2024 Wroclaw collected a total of PLN 35,495,602.96 from fees for alcoholic beverage sales permits - PLN 28,396,745.82 from retail permits (113.6% of the PLN 25 million plan) and PLN 7,098,857.14 from wholesale permits (100.0% of plan). Source: Report on the execution of the City of Wroclaw budget for 2024 (BIP UM Wroclawia, pp. 246-247). These receipts are not a sales tax but an annual fee paid by businesses holding a permit. Under the Act of 26 October 1982 on Sobriety Education and Counteracting Alcoholism they must feed the municipal alcohol prevention and addiction programme.

Since when has Wroclaw had a night-time alcohol sales ban?

The path to introducing the ban was spread over three stages. In 2018 the Old Town was covered, in 2024 the ban was extended to eight districts (Szczepin, Nadodrze, Olbin, Plac Grunwaldzki, Powstancow Slaskich, Przedmiescie Olawskie, Przedmiescie Swidnickie and Huby), and from 9 October 2025 it has applied across the whole of Wroclaw. The legal basis is resolution no. XXIII/435/25 of the Wroclaw City Council of 11 September 2025, published in the Official Journal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship of 24 September 2025 (item 3906). The ban covers hours 22:00-6:00, shops, hypermarkets, liquor stores and petrol stations. Restaurants, bars and pubs with permits to sell for on-premises consumption operate unchanged.

How did the night-time prohibition affect safety in the pilot districts?

After the first year of the ban in the eight districts added in 2024 (Szczepin, Nadodrze, Olbin, Plac Grunwaldzki, Powstancow Slaskich, Przedmiescie Olawskie, Przedmiescie Swidnickie and Huby) the Wroclaw Municipal Police recorded over 15% fewer interventions against people drinking in public places and disturbing the night peace. The Police registered a fall of nearly 7% in similar incidents. This compares the year before and after the ban, for the pilot areas only. The effect of extending the ban across the whole of Wroclaw from 9 October 2025 will only be measurable after the full 2026 season.

How many alcohol sales points can operate in Wroclaw?

Resolution no. LX/1423/18 of the Wroclaw City Council of 23 August 2018 (amended by resolution no. XXIII/434/25 of 11 September 2025) set a maximum of 6,050 permits in total - 3,375 for retail shops and 2,675 for hospitality venues, in three categories (up to 4.5%, 4.5-18% and above 18%). One sales point usually holds 2-3 permits (one for each alcohol category).

When can the Wroclaw MKRPA refer someone for compulsory treatment?

The Municipal Commission for the Solution of Alcohol Problems can apply to the court to compel an addicted person to undergo treatment when they meet one of the statutory grounds: breakdown of family life, demoralisation of minors, evading obligations or systematic disturbance of public order. Notification can be made by the family, MOPS, the police or the prosecutor. In Wroclaw the Commission operates within the Department of Health and Social Affairs of Wroclaw City Hall, 4 G. Zapolska Street, room 339 (phone 71 77 77 836). Procedure and required documents are described on wroclaw.pl in the section "Addictions and counteracting violence".

Is Esperal reimbursed by the NFZ in Wroclaw?

No. Disulfiram (Esperal) implantation is not on the list of guaranteed services of the NFZ in Poland, so in Wroclaw it is performed only in private practices. The NFZ does fund addiction therapy - outpatient, day-care and residential - and pharmacotherapy in addiction clinics, including at the Wroclaw Health Centre SPZOZ (Wroclawskie Centrum Zdrowia, Outpatient Clinic for Alcohol and Co-Addiction Therapy). The cost of a private implant in Wroclaw starts from a few hundred zloty - details in the article Esperal - price and cost of the implant.

How does Wroclaw compare with Krakow and Lodz on alcohol policy?

Three large Polish cities chose three different paths. Krakow introduced a citywide night-time alcohol sales ban from 1 July 2023 and after two years Police July interventions fell by nearly 70% - we do the detailed reckoning in the article Cost of alcoholism in Krakow. Lodz, from 17 October 2025, restricted sales only in seven central districts, in hours 22:00-6:00 - we describe the local budget and social costs in the article Cost of alcoholism in Lodz. Wroclaw took a third route: Old Town in 2018, eight districts in 2024, the whole city from 9 October 2025. Three models give different data, but all require evaluation over several years, not several months.

Sources

• Report on the execution of the City of Wroclaw budget for 2024 - BIP UM Wroclawia, pp. 178-179, 246-247 (PDF 11.25 MB).
• Resolution no. XXIII/435/25 of the Wroclaw City Council of 11 September 2025 on restricting night-time sales of alcoholic beverages - Official Journal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship of 24 September 2025, item 3906.
• Resolution no. LX/1423/18 of the Wroclaw City Council of 23 August 2018 on the maximum number of permits for the sale of alcoholic beverages, amended by resolution no. XXIII/434/25 of 11 September 2025.
• BIP UM Wroclawia notice board: "Restriction of night-time sales of alcoholic beverages across Wroclaw".
• Articles on wroclaw.pl/dla-mieszkanca: "What the alcohol sales restriction will change in Wroclaw" and "From 9 October a night-time sales ban comes into force".
• BIP UM Wroclawia, case 5995: "Permit for sale of alcohol" - fees and the maximum number of permits.
• Central Statistical Office (GUS) - Wroclaw population data (as of 30 June 2025); study by the team of prof. R. Szmytkie (University of Wroclaw, December 2023).
• KCPU, "Addictions in Poland 2023" report - deaths, ESPAD, FASD programmes.
• SGH 2024 report "Socio-economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption in Poland 2023".
• ezdrowie.gov.pl - NFZ data for 2023 on hospitalisations due to toxic effects of alcohol and alcoholic liver disease.
• National Police Headquarters (Komenda Glowna Policji) - drunk-driver statistics 2024 (etransport.pl, beesafe.pl).
• TVN24/Bankier - drunk-driver statistics by voivodeship 2023.

---

This article is informative in nature and does not replace medical or legal consultation. If you or someone close to you is struggling with addiction, contact a specialist.