A new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows that alcohol is now the third leading cause of the global burden of disease and injury, despite the fact most adults worldwide abstain from drinking.
This research, part of the
2010 Global Burden of Disease study, was published in this month’s issue of the journal Addiction. It also found that Canadians drink more than 50 per
cent above the global average.
“Alcohol consumption has
been found to cause more than 200 different diseases and injuries,” said Kevin
Shield, the lead author of the study. “These include not only well-known
outcomes of drinking such as liver cirrhosis or traffic accidents, but also several types of
cancer, such as female breast cancer.”
The study reports the amount
and patterns of alcohol consumption by country for 2005, and calculates
estimates for these figures for 2010. It reveals vast differences by
geographical region in the numbers of people who consume alcohol, the amount
they drink, and general patterns of drinking. Some other findings:
- Drinkers in Europe and parts of Sub-Saharan Africa are the world’s heaviest consumers of alcohol, on average.
- People in Eastern Europe and Southern Sub-Saharan Africa consumed alcohol in the unhealthiest manner, as they frequently consumed large quantities, drank to intoxication, engaged in prolonged binges, and consumed alcohol mainly outside of meals.
- People in North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia consumed the least amount of alcohol.
- North Americans in general, and Canadians in particular drink more than 50 per cent above the global average, and show a more detrimental drinking pattern than most EU countries, with more bingeing. > > > > Read More
