Bottles of alcohol
Alcohol and drugs cause millions of deaths worldwide. According to WHO, more than three million deaths each year are linked to alcohol and drug use. This is according to the WHO Global status report on alcohol and health and treatment of substance use disorders.
Based on 2019 data, this report provides a comprehensive picture of the public health consequences of alcohol and drug use and the global status of alcohol use and substance use disorder treatment. “According to this document, approximately 400 million people in the world had alcohol and drug use disorders at the time. Among them, 209 million people were alcohol dependent,” the organization informs in a press release.
In the face of this bleak picture, the WHO Director-General has sounded the alarm. “Substance use seriously harms individual health, increasing the risk of chronic diseases and mental health problems and tragically causing millions of preventable deaths each year. Substance use places a heavy burden on families and communities by increasing exposure to accidents, injuries and violence,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
For the head of the WHO, the situation challenges everyone. And to “build a healthier and more equitable society”, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus believes that “we (the international community, leaders and other actors, etc., Editor’s note) must urgently commit to taking bold measures that reduce the negative effects of alcohol consumption on health and society and make treatment for substance use disorders accessible and affordable.”
While it is true that alcohol-related death rates have declined slightly since 2010, the report says, the total number of deaths from alcohol consumption remains far too high. In 2019, it was 2.6 million.
According to WHO, the highest figures are recorded in the European Region and the African Region. “Mortality rates from alcohol consumption are highest in low-income countries, per liter of alcohol consumed, and lowest in high-income countries,” notes the report.
