W.H.O. Report on Worldwide Alcohol Abuse
The World Health Organization has just released a “Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health” which finds that 2.5 million people worldwide die each year from alcohol use. “Alcohol consumption is the world’s third largest risk factor for disease and disability; in middle-income countries, it is the greatest risk. Alcohol is a causal factor in 60 types of diseases and injuries and a component cause in 200 others. Almost 4% of all deaths worldwide are attributed to alcohol, greater than deaths caused by HIV/AIDS, violence or tuberculosis. Alcohol is also associated with many serious social issues, including violence, child neglect and abuse, and absenteeism in the workplace … Yet, despite all these problems, the harmful use of alcohol remains a low priority in public policy, including in health policy. Many lesser health risks have higher priority.”
LifeRing attempts to help individuals overcome alcohol and drug abuse and we know the personal toll addiction takes. It’s important to be aware of the bigger picture as well. See the report HERE.
Hi,
I live in a relatively small town in the UK called ‘Bournemouth’. I hear a lot about the problems associated with drug use in society, and in the main, I agree with them. However, it is not heroin addicts or crack users that cause me to avoid our town centre on a Friday or Saturday night; it’s alcohol abusers. Certainly, from a UK perspective the extent of alcohol abuse is very worrying and clearly on the increase. This will undoubtedly result in far greater numbers of people experiencing serious alcohol problems at an early age in the future. Unfortunately, this is coinciding with reduced levels of available funding for alcohol dependency treatment and is sure to place a huge burden on individuals, families, and society as the picture unfolds.
Glad to see this is up … I saw this yesterday.