Author: Alex Thompson

Alcohol’s Effects on Health National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA

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This data is based on estimates of prevalence and treatment published by the World Health Organization (WHO). The chart shows direct death rates (not including suicide deaths) from alcohol use disorders across the world. The death rates are typically higher in Eastern Europe and lower in North Africa and the Middle East. This chart is shown for the global total but can be explored for any country or region using the “Change country or region” toggle. Find up-to-date statistics on lifetime drinking, past-year drinking, past-month drinking, binge drinking, heavy alcohol use, and high-intensity drinking. WHO’s Global status report on alcohol and health 2018 presents a comprehensive picture of alcohol consumption and the disease burden attributable to alcohol worldwide.

Symptoms

Data on the prevalence of binge drinking by age and gender in the UK can be found here, and trends in heavy and binge drinking in the USA can be found here. The comparison of this map with the previous maps makes clear that heavy drinking is not necessarily most common in the same countries where alcohol consumption is most common. Heavy episodic drinking is defined as the proportion of adult drinkers who have had at least 60 grams or more of pure alcohol on at least one occasion in the past 30 days. An intake of 60 grams of pure alcohol is approximately equal to 6 standard alcoholic drinks. Alcohol consumption – whilst a risk factor for a number of health outcomes – typically has the greatest negative impacts when consumed within heavy sessions. As the map shows, the average per capita alcohol consumption varies widely globally.

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  1. Alcohol use disorder can include periods of being drunk (alcohol intoxication) and symptoms of withdrawal.
  2. Explore topics related to alcohol misuse and treatment, underage drinking, the effects of alcohol on the human body, and more.
  3. Consider talking with someone who has had a problem with drinking but has stopped.
  4. In a related chart, you can see the share who drink alcohol by gender and age group in the UK.

You might not recognize how much you drink or how many problems in your life are related to alcohol use. Listen to relatives, friends or co-workers when they ask you to examine your drinking habits or to seek help. Consider talking with someone who has had a problem with drinking but has stopped. Alcohol use disorder can include periods of being drunk (alcohol intoxication) and symptoms of withdrawal. In the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, and many European countries, alcohol is responsible for around a third of all traffic deaths. The total estimated number of deaths by country from 1990 to 2019 is found here.

A century ago, some countries had much higher levels of alcohol consumption. In France in the 1920s, the average was 22.1 liters of pure alcohol per person per year. This interactive map shows the annual average alcohol consumption of alcohol, expressed per person aged 15 years or older. To account for the differences in alcohol content of different alcoholic drinks (e.g., beer, wine, spirits), this is reported in liters of pure alcohol per year. Learn up-to-date facts and statistics on alcohol consumption and its impact in the United States and globally.

Find science-based information on the effects of alcohol on health.

We also find correlates in drinking patterns when we look at groupings of income, education or work status. Although those in lower income or educational status groups often drink less overall, they are more likely to have lower-frequency, higher-intensity drinking patterns. Overall, these groups drink less, but a higher percentage will drink heavily when they do. By default, the data for France is shown – in recent decades, here, the share of beer consumption increased to make up around a fifth of alcohol consumption in France.

But as you continue to drink, you become drowsy and have less control over your actions. Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Data on alcohol expenditure is typically limited to North America, Europe, and Oceania.

Added to these costs is the toll on people’s health, quality of life, safety, and well-being. Discover the impact alcohol has on children living with a parent or caregiver with alcohol use disorder. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

If you feel that you sometimes drink too much alcohol, or your drinking is causing problems, or if your family is concerned about your drinking, talk with your health care provider. Other ways to get help include talking with a mental health professional or seeking help from a support group such as Alcoholics Anonymous or a similar type of self-help group. Alcohol use disorder is a pattern of alcohol use that involves problems controlling your drinking, being preoccupied with alcohol or continuing to use alcohol even when it causes problems. This disorder also involves having to drink more to get the same effect or having withdrawal symptoms when you rapidly decrease or stop drinking. Alcohol use disorder includes a level of drinking that’s sometimes called alcoholism.

Many people with alcohol use disorder hesitate to get treatment because they don’t recognize that they have a problem. An intervention from loved ones can help some people recognize and accept that they need professional help. If you’re concerned about someone who drinks too much, ask a professional experienced in alcohol treatment for advice on how to approach that person. The breakdown of alcohol use disorders by gender for any country can be viewed here; the majority of people with alcohol use disorders – around three-quarters – are male. It’s estimated that globally, around 1 percent of the population has an alcohol use disorder. At the country level, as shown in the chart, this ranges from around 0.5 to 5 percent of the population.

Here, we see particularly high levels of alcohol abstinence across North Africa and the Middle East. In most countries in this region, the majority of adults have never drunk alcohol. In a related chart, you can see the share who drink alcohol by gender and age group in the UK. Alcohol has historically, and continues to, hold an important role in social engagement and bonding for many. On average, the direct and indirect costs of excessive drinking add up to about $807 per person in the United States. Alcohol use disorder, which includes alcohol dependence, is defined in the WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (available here).

These data show how much and how often people binge drink in the United States, and its high costs to our nation. Discover how many people with alcohol use disorder in the United States receive treatment across age groups and demographics. This video for middle school students describes prescription stimulants, why they are prescribed, and how they can… This video for middle school students describes what Opioids are, why doctors prescribe them, and how they can be… This video for middle school students describes cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vapes, and other tobacco products and provides… Find the latest science-based information about drug use, health, and the developing brain.