A Consumer Guide
Printed 2006
Revised 2007, 2008, 2011, 2014, and 2015
The World Health Organization (WHO) provides an overview of alcohol consumption and its global impact. Alcohol, containing ethanol, is a psychoactive and toxic substance that can lead to dependence.
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In 2019, alcohol consumption was responsible for approximately 2.6 million deaths worldwide, with 1.6 million resulting from noncommunicable diseases, 700,000 from injuries, and 300,000 from communicable diseases. Men accounted for the majority of these deaths, totaling 2 million, compared to 600,000 among women. Additionally, an estimated 400 million people aged 15 and older were living with alcohol use disorders in 2019.
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The report provides an overview of alcohol consumption, related health harm, and policy responses in 30 European countries (EU Member States, Norway, and Switzerland). It highlights the high levels of alco
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hol consumption in the WHO European Region, which contribute to a significant disease burden compared to other regions. The report covers trends in alcohol consumption and harm between 2010 and 2016, noting some progress in reducing alcohol-attributable mortality but stagnation in consumption reduction and heavy episodic drinking.
The assessment of alcohol policies shows variability in implementation across countries, particularly in areas like pricing and reducing the negative consequences of drinking. It emphasizes the need for stronger evidence-based policies, such as better regulation, taxation, and accessibility restrictions, to further reduce alcohol-related harm and achieve health-related Sustainable Development Goals.
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The OECD's "Alcohol Consumption" indicator measures the annual sales of pure alcohol in liters per person aged 15 and older. This metric helps assess long-term trends in
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alcohol consumption across countries. It's important to note that the methodology for converting alcoholic beverages to pure alcohol may vary between nations. Additionally, official data typically do not account for tourist consumption or unrecorded alcohol intake, such as homemade or illegally produced alcohol. While this indicator provides insight into overall consumption patterns, it does not capture harmful drinking behaviors like heavy episodic drinking.
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Schools are generally the most popular setting for drug-use-
prevention programmes, and are used both by governmental and
non-governmental agencies. This may be for many reasons: ease of
obtaining funding for school drug-use-prevention programmes, the
captive audience, and the popular perception
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that drug prevention
should start from schools, or the need to show that action is being
taken to control a serious social problem.
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This short brief describes the main findings and the key lessons learned from the research project "Evaluation of the impact of alcohol control policies on morbidity and mortality in Lithuania and other Baltic states", funded by the United States Na
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tional Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism for the period 2000–2025. The WHO-backed project aims to assess the effects of alcohol control policies implemented in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and to investigate the impact they have had on both people's health and the countries' economies, based on concrete actions taken. The key findings of the project demonstrate that alcohol control policies such as taxation and availability measures decrease all-cause mortality and reduce inequalities, and that dismantling alcohol control policies has the opposite effect on population health. They also highlight that consumption of unrecorded alcohol will not necessarily go up if taxation is increased and that specific countermeasures can be taken to prevent an increase in unrecorded consumption.
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Substance abuse, is a dangerous relapsing brain disease requiring intensive treatment in a professional setting. Someone who is suffering from substance abuse will have cravings and compulsive drug
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use that persists even in the face of negative consequences. Although substance abuse may start out as voluntary, over time, the drug changes the way the brain works, leading to tolerance and addiction.
This site is focused on creating clear, accessible, and trustworthy content on substance abuse
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The World Health Organization's Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (WHO EMRO) highlights the significant health and social consequences of harmful alcohol use. Excessive alcohol consumption is li
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nked to over 200 diseases and injuries, including liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis, various cancers, hemorrhagic stroke, and hypertension. Globally, it results in approximately 3.3 million deaths annually, surpassing fatalities from HIV/AIDS, violence, or tuberculosis. In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, while overall alcohol consumption is low, there is a concerning rise among adolescents and young adults, with patterns of heavy episodic drinking posing significant health risks. In response, the WHO has developed a global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol, aiming to improve health and social outcomes by decreasing disease and death associated with alcohol consumption.
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The pamphlet "Alcohol and Depressants" explains the effects of depressants, including alcohol. Depressants slow brain activity by increasing the release of inhibitory neurotransmitters like GABA, le
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ading to effects such as sedation, decreased anxiety, and reduced heart rate. Alcohol, a legal depressant, causes short-term effects like impaired judgment, vomiting, and blackouts, while long-term use can result in alcoholism, liver disease, strokes, and cancer. Alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening, causing seizures and heart complications. The pamphlet emphasizes the importance of safe usage and provides resources for treatment and further information.
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This infographic provides important information on what to do and what not to do in regard to alcohol during the COVID-19 pandemic, including: avoiding alcohol altogether, reaching out for help, avo
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iding alcohol as a social cue for smoking, discussing with children and young people the problems associated with drinking and COVID-19, not using alcohol as a way of dealing with your emotions and stress, never mixing alcohol with medications, and making sure that children and young people do not have access to alcohol.
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Esta hoja informativa destaca la relación entre el consumo de alcohol y la COVID-19. El alcohol se utiliza a menudo para la socialización y por algunas personas para hacer frente a las emociones d
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ifíciles como la ansiedad, el miedo, la depresión, el aburrimiento y la incertidumbre, todo lo cual aumentó durante la pandemia de COVID-19, con el consiguiente incremento en el consumo de alcohol, especialmente en quienes ya bebían en exceso.
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The ASSIST package is developed to help the primary health professionals to detect and manage substance use and related problems in primary and general medical care settings.
Download the ASSIST screening test version 3.0 and feedback card
The ASSIST screening test version 3.0 is availa
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ble in English and in 10 other languages (Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, French, German, Hindi, Portugüse, Russian, Spanish and Ukrainian).
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a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016.
The Lancet Published:November 01, 2018DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30337-7
The IHME webpage discusses alcohol use as a significant global health risk, responsible for over 1.8 million deaths annually. It highlights age-related differences in alcohol's health impacts, with
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no benefits for individuals aged 15–39 and potential small benefits for those aged 40 and above under certain conditions. The page emphasizes the need to consider factors like age, disease patterns, and individual health in assessing alcohol-related risks.
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Management of substance abuse - Country profiles 2014
Protocol for the management of specialized centres for the treatment of people with alcohol and other drug abuse problems (CETAD) in the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic. Version 1.
Background
The core clinical symptoms of addiction include an enhanced incentive for drug taking (craving), impaired self-control (impulsivity and compulsivity), emotional dysregulation (negative mood) and increased stress reactivity. Symptoms related to impaired self-control involve reduced activi
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ty in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), adjacent prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and other brain areas. Behavioral training such as mindfulness meditation can increase the function of control networks including those leading to improved emotion regulation and thus may be a promising approach for the treatment of addiction.
Methods
In a series of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), we tested whether increased ACC/mPFC activity is related to better self-control abilities in executive functions, emotion regulation and stress response in healthy and addicted populations. After a brief mindfulness training (Integrative Body-Mind Training, IBMT), we used the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and Profile of Mood States (POMS) to measure emotion regulation, salivary cortisol for the stress response and fMRI for brain functional and DTI structural changes. Relaxation training was used to serve as an active control.
Results
In both smokers and nonsmokers, improved self-control abilities in emotion regulation and stress reduction were found after training and these changes were related to increased ACC/mPFC activity following training. Compared with nonsmokers, smokers showed reduced ACC/mPFC activity in the self-control network before training, and these deficits were ameliorated after training.
Conclusions
These results indicate that promoting emotion regulation and improving ACC/mPFC brain activity can help for addiction prevention and treatment.
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Manual for use in primary care.
This manual explains the theoretical basis and evidence for the effectiveness of brief interventions and assists primary health care workers in conducting a simple brief intervention for clients whose substance use is putting them at risk.