Alcohol Now 3rd Worldwide Leading Cause of Injury & Death

It is nothing new that alcoholism is an addiction that has the ability to destroy lives. People can become so enveloped in their alcohol addictions that they lose sight of the important things in life - family, work, school, and other responsibilities, and become wholly preoccupied with alcohol. In the United States, alcohol surpasses all other drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, and prescription painkillers as the number one drug problem in the nation. According to a recent study conducted by the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), alcohol is now the third leading cause of disease and injury worldwide.

Alcohol, Disease & Injury
Based on research gathered mainly from the 2010 Global Burden of Disease study, alcohol has been found to cause more than 200 diseases and injuries. When people think of alcohol and disease, liver problems are usually the first that come to mind. It is widely known that alcohol can cause serious liver diseases such as cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. But what many people do not realize is that alcohol affects nearly every single organ in the body. It can cause heart disease, pancreatitis, gastrointestinal problems, and several types of cancer. Researchers recently found that alcohol consumption by women can make them much more susceptible to breast cancer.

When people consume alcohol, their behavior changes. This is not true only of alcoholics, alcohol affects everyone that consumes it in different ways. Their judgment becomes impaired, and they may do certain things that they would otherwise not do if they were sober. Traffic accidents due to alcohol abuse are among the major problems of alcohol-related injuries. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety, roughly 40 percent of all traffic deaths are due to driving under the influence. In addition to traffic-related injuries, violence and domestic abuse while people are intoxicated are also a major problem. Alcohol affects not only the person drinking it, but those around them as well.

Global Alcohol Abuse
It is estimated that around 2.5 million deaths per year are due to the harmful use of alcohol. In the age group of 15 to 29, roughly 320,000 people die each year from alcohol-related causes, which makes up about 9 percent of all deaths in that range. The global burden of alcohol is large, and it continues to grow. After high blood pressure and tobacco, it places third for disease and injury. The amount of alcohol consumed varies from region to region. Some nations drink more than others, and some engage in more reckless drinking behaviors. On average, drinkers in Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa consume the most alcohol worldwide. They drink the most, and they also engage in some of the most dangerous drinking behaviors, such as drinking in large quantities, drinking to get drunk, and binge-drinking for extended periods of time.

The figures recorded by the CAMH may even be an underestimate, considering that 30 percent of alcohol consumed around the world is unrecorded. This includes alcohol that is brewed at home and produced illegally, including moonshine operations. When alcohol is so readily accessible and socially acceptable, it is hard to not drink irresponsibly for many people. Even though only half of the world drinks alcohol, the half that does causes a large amount of disease and injury. Alcoholism is a serious disease and it causes a lot of damage. If you or someone you know has a problem with alcohol abuse, there are many different options for alcohol treatment. From support groups like AA to inpatient rehab treatment, there are programs out there to help everyone who is struggling with alcohol addiction.