Over the years, use of alcohol, excessive and prolonged, has been associated with various health hazards. With increasing clinical experience and research in the area, the association has become stronger and progressively more alarming. The evidence from different treatment settings viz. the outpatient department, inpatient setup, emergency department, and the consultation liaison services has linked the use of alcohol with a wide array of hazards to the physical and the psychological health of the users. The impact on psychological health extends beyond the users of alcohol to involve caregivers and other family members of users.
Alcohol consumption is the leading risk factor for disease burden in low-mortality developing countries and the third largest risk factor in developed countries. Added to this is the fact that a significant proportion of those needing the help of deaddiction service providers and of mental health professionals present to various other departments including medicine, surgery, gastroenterology, nephrology, and cardiology, among others. We present here a comprehensive review of the impact of alcohol use on health.
We have reviewed the relevant literature from south Asian countries using Pubmed search. In addition, other information sources such as Cork Bibliography, published monographs, and study reports have been included in the review.
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