Overall, harmful use of alcohol is responsible for 4.7% of the global burden of disease. Drinking moderately if you’re otherwise healthy may be a risk you’re willing to take. During pregnancy, drinking may cause the unborn baby to have brain damage and other problems. Heavy drinking also has been linked to intentional injuries, such as suicide, as well as accidental injury and death. That usually means four or more drinks within two hours for women and five or more drinks within two hours for men. As consumption goes up, the risk goes up for these cancers.
Risk factors
In 2019, the worldwide total consumption was equal to 5.5 litres of pure alcohol per person 15 years and older. Explore a world of health data Commercial determinants of noncommunicable diseases in the WHO European Region The SAFER initiative, launched globally in 2018, supports the implementation of high-impact strategies across the European Region. The WHO European Region has been proactive in addressing the harm caused by alcohol through several key initiatives and frameworks.
For men, heavy drinking means more than four drinks on any day or more than 14 drinks a week. For women, more than three drinks on any day or more Alcohol During Pregnancy than seven drinks a week is heavy drinking. Heavy drinking, including binge drinking, is a high-risk activity. For example, any amount of drinking increases the risk of breast cancer and colorectal cancer. It also causes harm to the well-being and health of people around the drinker.
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WHO has identified that the most cost-effective actions to reduce the harmful use of alcohol include increasing taxes on alcoholic beverages, enforcing restrictions on exposure to alcohol advertising, and restrictions on the physical availability of retailed alcohol. Surrogate and illegally produced alcohols can bring an extra health risk from toxic contaminants. Alcohol as an immunosuppressant increases the risk of communicable diseases, including tuberculosis and HIV. In this context, it is easy to overlook or discount the health and social damage caused or contributed to by drinking. When it comes to alcohol, if you don’t drink, don’t start for health reasons. In the United States, people younger than age 21 are not legally able to drink alcohol.
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- This drinking pattern is responsible for the majority of alcohol-attributable breast cancers in women, with the highest burden observed in countries of the European Union (EU).
- Binge drinking is behavior that raises blood alcohol levels to 0.08%.
- Drinking moderately if you’re otherwise healthy may be a risk you’re willing to take.
Global status report on alcohol and health and treatment of substance use disorders
An intervention from loved ones can help some people recognize and accept that they need professional help. Other ways to get help include talking with a mental health professional or seeking help from a support group such as Alcoholics Anonymous or a similar type of self-help group. Alcohol use disorder can include periods of being drunk (alcohol intoxication) and symptoms of withdrawal. The most cost-effective interventions are at the focus of WHO-led SAFER initiative aimed at providing support for Member States in reducing the harmful use of alcohol.
Noncommunicable diseases progress monitor 2025
This initiative includes policies that reduce the affordability, availability, and acceptability of alcohol, particularly in the heaviest-drinking countries, mitigating the effects of alcohol consumption on public health. This emphasizes the importance of protecting policy-making processes from industry interference that aims to delay or weaken public health measures that would reduce alcohol consumption. Despite progress in reducing alcohol consumption and related harms, the Region continues to face significant challenges, including high rates of alcohol-related deaths, particularly from cancer. The EU is the heaviest-drinking area globally, with 7 of the 10 countries with the highest per-capita alcohol consumption located within the EU.
Global Information System on Alcohol and Health
Drinking alcohol is a health risk regardless of the amount. There are 230 different types of diseases where alcohol has a significant role. The harmful use of alcohol results in the death of 2.6 million people annually.
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The European framework for action on alcohol, 2022–2025, adopted by all 53 Member States, uses the latest evidence to address alcohol-related harms through comprehensive, evidence-based policies and collaborative efforts. Alcohol is a toxic, psychoactive substance linked to over 200 diseases and conditions, including 7 types of cancer. “So, when we talk about possible so-called safer levels of alcohol consumption or about its protective effects, we are ignoring the bigger picture of alcohol harm in our Region and the world. Disadvantaged and vulnerable populations have higher rates of alcohol-related death and hospitalization, as harms from a given amount and pattern of drinking are higher for poorer drinkers and their families than for richer drinkers in any given society.
- That usually means four or more drinks within two hours for women and five or more drinks within two hours for men.
- The only thing that we can say for sure is that the more you drink, the more harmful it is – or, in other words, the less you drink, the safer it is,” explains Dr Carina Ferreira-Borges, acting Unit Lead for Noncommunicable Disease Management and Regional Advisor for Alcohol and Illicit Drugs in the WHO Regional Office for Europe.
- For example, any amount of drinking increases the risk of breast cancer and colorectal cancer.
- People who choose not to drink make that choice for the same reasons.
- Although it is well established that alcohol can cause cancer, this fact is still not widely known to the public in most countries.
Around 1 in every 3 deaths in men and 1 in every 5 deaths in women between 30 and 40 years of age were due to alcohol. Every day, around 2191 people die from alcohol-related causes in the Region. The WHO European Region has the highest levels of alcohol consumption and the highest burden of alcohol-related harm in the world.
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Heavy drinking also may result in alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Binge drinking is behavior that raises blood alcohol levels to 0.08%. The definition of heavy drinking is based on a person’s sex. In the past, moderate drinking was thought to be linked with a lower risk of dying from heart disease and possibly diabetes. And drinking raises the risk of problems in the digestive system. For example, it may be used to define the risk of illness or injury based on the number of drinks a person has in a week.
In addition, enforcing drink driving countermeasures and securing access to screening, brief interventions, and treatment are effective and ethically sound interventions. Alcohol has considerable toxic effects on the digestive and cardiovascular systems. Alcohol as an intoxicant affects a wide range of structures and processes in the central nervous system and increases the risk for intentional and unintentional injuries and adverse social consequences. Disadvantaged and especially vulnerable populations have higher rates of alcohol-related death and hospitalization. This is particularly true for those in social environments with high visibility and societal influence, nationally and internationally, where alcohol frequently accompanies socializing. In many of today’s societies, alcoholic beverages are a routine part of the social landscape for many in the population.
But as you continue to drink, you become drowsy and have less control over your actions. In some people, the initial reaction may feel like an increase in energy. Alcohol use may begin in the teens, but alcohol use disorder occurs more frequently in the 20s and 30s, though it can start at any age. This may result in craving alcohol to try to restore good feelings or reduce negative ones. Consider talking with someone who has had a problem with drinking but has stopped. Listen to relatives, friends or co-workers when they ask you to examine your drinking habits or to seek help.
If you already drink at low levels and continue to drink, risks for these issues appear to be low. It means on days when a person does drink, women do not have more than one drink and men do not have more than two drinks. Moderate alcohol use may not mean the same thing in research studies or among health agencies. Here’s a closer look at alcohol and health. While the risk is low for moderate intake, the risk goes up as the amount you drink goes up. Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol
Globally, the WHO European Region has the highest alcohol consumption level and the highest proportion of drinkers in the population. In the EU, cancer is the leading cause of death – with a steadily increasing incidence rate – and the majority of all alcohol-attributable deaths are due to different types of cancers. However, latest available data indicate that half of all alcohol-attributable cancers in the WHO European Region are caused by “light” and “moderate” alcohol consumption – less than 1.5 litres of wine or less than 3.5 litres of beer or less than 450 millilitres of spirits per week.
The risk of developing cancer increases substantially the more alcohol is consumed. Ethanol (alcohol) causes cancer through biological mechanisms as the compound breaks down in the body, which means that any beverage containing alcohol, regardless of its price and quality, poses a risk of developing cancer. A heavy drinking binge may even cause a life-threatening coma or death. Genetic, psychological, social and environmental factors can impact how drinking alcohol affects your body and behavior. If you’re concerned about someone who drinks too much, ask a professional experienced in alcohol treatment for advice on how to approach that person. Many people with alcohol use disorder hesitate to get treatment because they don’t recognize that they have a problem.