The latest report from United Nations agency, World Health Organization, states that alcohol abuse is the leading cause of death worldwide, surpassing deaths from AIDS or tuberculosis.
Approximately 2.5 million people die each year from alcohol-related causes according to WHO’s Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health. That’s nearly 4 percent of deaths worldwide – more than AIDS, tuberculosis or violence – warned the international health agency. Males in particular are at risk, since alcohol abuse is the world’s leading risk for factor for death among men aged 15-59.
The agency says that alcohol is a causal factor in 60 types of diseases and injuries, and its consumption has been linked to cirrhosis of the liver, epilepsy, poisonings, road traffic collisions, violence, and several types of cancer, including cancers of the colorectum, breast, larynx and liver, as well as child neglect and job absenteeism.
"Six or seven years ago we didn’t have strong evidence of a causal relationship between drinking and breast cancer. Now we do," Vladimir Poznyak, report co-ordinator and head of WHO’s substance abuse unit.
Alcohol consumption rates vary greatly, from high levels in developed countries, to the lowest in North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, and southern Asia, where largely Muslim populations abstain from drinking. In France and other European countries with high levels of adult per capita consumption, binge drinking statistics are low, which suggests regular moderate drinking patterns – often considered to be good for your health.