Alcohol's Toll on World Health Today

Alcohol has long been studied for its health and social effects. Alcohol's adverse health and social consequences are pretty well-known and documented. Public health scientists and other health professionals continue to study and report on alcohol intoxication, alcohol dependence and addiction, and alcohol's biochemical properties. For example, studies show that alcohol is implicated in high death rates for teens and young adults. This research and information is critical to appropriate public policy to educate young people and the general public about the adverse effects of drinking alcohol.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that in 2008 alone, 11,773 people were killed in alcohol-related driving crashes, comprising about one-third of all traffic-related deaths in the United States. More than 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in the same time period. As a result of these and other alcohol-related trends, organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.) have instituted campaigns and programs to stop drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and advocate for victims of violent crime.

Celebrity rehab visits seem to dominate today's headlines and even resulted in various television shows, like Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew and Intervention, to educate young people and the public about the perils of alcohol and substance use and abuse. Keeping Up with the Kardashians' Scott Disick. Parent Trap'sLindsay Lohan. Two and a Half Men's Charlie Sheen. Tudors' star Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Working Girl's Melanie Griffith. Walk the Line's Joaquin Phoenix. Good Will Hunting's Ben Affleck. Spider Man's Kirsten Dunst. Country music star Keith Urban. Rocker Eddie Van Halen. These are among the many Hollywood celebrities and stars who have found themselves in rehab for alcohol and other problems.

In moderation, alcohol consumption has been found to have beneficial effects on overall health and well being. Red wine, in particular, is touted for its heart-healthy properties. Yet, alcohol consumption is a huge issue around the world and takes its toll daily on whole societies. How? Read on.

Alcohol and Global Disease Burden

What's often overlooked in terms of alcohol's effects on society is its impact on the disease burden. What do we mean by "disease burden?" The World Health Organization (WHO) calculates this by combining "years of life lost due to premature mortality" and "years of life lost due to time lived in states of less than full health." In this way, individual countries can more adequately determine the burden of disease across diseases, disorders, risk factors and regions. And, so can the global community.

In recent years, studies suggest that both the volume of alcohol consumed and the pattern of alcohol consumption is relevant to health outcomes. WHO reports that, increasingly, studies show a causal relationship between alcohol consumption and more than 60 types of disease and injury. For example, alcohol is thought to contribute to 20-30% worldwide of esophageal and liver cancer. Alcohol also promotes cirrhosis of the liver. Consumption of alcohol advances epilepsy. Last, but certainly not least, there seems to be a strong connection between alcohol, homicide and the incidence of motor vehicle accidents.

According to WHO, alcohol consumption has increased in recent years, particularly in developing countries. This trend is alarming, particularly when you consider that few of these developing countries have a tradition of alcohol consumption. What that means is these same countries have fewer resources for alcohol prevention or methods to control or treat alcohol dependence or addiction. Developing countries may not have support mechanisms, like Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-Step programs, to help individuals who use or abuse alcohol. Or, suffer from alcohol-related illness.

The Good News: Alcohol in Moderation is Good for Your Health

According to experts at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, red wine is considered heart healthy because it contains antioxidants that raise levels of "good" cholesterol and protecting against artery damage in human beings. In moderation, alcohol consumption has been found to have beneficial effects on overall health and well being. Combined with a balanced diet, plenty of sleep and exercise, an occasional drink of red wine or other alcohol may actually be good for you.

Keeping Alcohol Use in Check: Key to Reducing Global Disease Burden

As for the global disease burden to which alcohol contributes mightily? The United States and European Union have much to share with the developing world in the prevention and treatment of alcohol dependence or addiction. As vital health information and alcohol-related public health strategies are shared across cultures and borders, the developing world can avoid the devastation that alcohol-related disease, injury and death has wreaked on the Western world. Public health experts here in the United States and abroad agree that individual treatment combined with population-level public policy on things like alcohol production, marketing, and distribution are the most effective ways in reducing alcohol-related disease burden around the world.

RESOURCES

Alcohol
Substance Abuse, Facts and Figures
Programmes and Projects, World Health Organization

Red wine and resveratrol: Good for your heart?
Mayo Clinic Newsletter

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
National Institutes of Health

Alcoholics Anonymous
www.aa.org