Bottles of alcohol in a brewery
Alcohol and drugs cause millions of deaths worldwide. According to the WHO, more than three million deaths each year are linked to alcohol and drug consumption. This is what emerges from the WHO Global status report on alcohol and health and treatment of substance use disorders, in English).
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.
Faced with this dark picture, the Director General of the WHO sounded the alarm. “Substance use seriously harms individual health: it increases the risk of chronic diseases and mental health problems and leads to millions of preventable deaths each year, which is a tragedy. This consumption places a heavy burden on families and communities by increasing exposure to accidents, trauma and violence,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
For the head of the WHO, the situation concerns 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 health and social effects of alcohol use and make treatment for substance use disorders accessible and affordable. »
While it’s 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 and African Regions. “Alcohol-related death rates are highest in low-income countries, per litre of alcohol consumed, and lowest in high-income countries,” the report notes.
