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Alcohol, one of the leading causes of hospitalization in FranceThe treatment of alcohol dependence, as well as the numerous medical and psychological complications of acute and chronic alcohol abuse, results in many hospitalizations in France each year. According to studies, the cost of these hospitalizations is estimated to account for between one-third and one-half of alcohol-related healthcare expenditures.At the request of the Ministry of Health, a study examining all hospital stays related to alcohol consumption in 2012 was conducted. The data were compared, on the one hand, to hospitalizations in internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics, and dentistry (MCO) from 2006 and, on the other hand, to hospitalizations in psychiatry and follow-up care and rehabilitation (SSR) from 2009.In 2012, 580,884 alcohol-related hospital stays were identified in MCO (+11.3% compared to 2006), corresponding to 316,824 patients. Acute intoxications are most prevalent in northern and western France, as well as in Picardy, Champagne, Burgundy, and Auvergne, with rates more than double the national average in the Nord, Lower Normandy, and Réunion. Hospitalizations for alcohol dependence are higher than average in the north, the northwest, and Brittany, as well as in Champagne, Picardy, Burgundy, and Auvergne, with rates more than double the national average in the Nord, Upper Normandy, and Réunion. Franche-Comté remains below the national average for both acute intoxications and dependence syndromes.In psychiatry, 2,717,031 inpatient days (+2.3% compared to 2009) and 673,297 outpatient visits were related to an "alcohol" diagnosis, corresponding to 139,882 patients. In the SSR department, 2,002,071 patient days (+6.7% compared to 2009) were related to an “alcohol” diagnosis, corresponding to 49,925 patients.Across all hospital activity in 2012, alcohol-related hospitalizations accounted for 2.2% of inpatient stays, 10.4% of days spent in psychiatry, and 5.6% of days spent in SSR. The estimated cost amounts to nearly 3.6% of total hospital expenditures in 2012.The number of stays for acute alcohol intoxication and complications underscores the importance of addressing alcohol-related issues as early as possible and during every hospital stay, with the aim of ultimately reducing these complications and the rehospitalizations they cause.