europeans consume more alcohol than citizens of any other part of the world

they have the record of having doubled the consumption of alcohol in 15 years

MADRID, 27 ( EUROPA PRESS)

Europeans consume more alcohol than the citizens of any other part of the world. In particular, the equivalent of 12 litres and means of pure year alcohol or three drinks a day. Thus reflects it a report by the World Organization of health ( who) co-sponsored by the European Commission, which shows that Europe has the “dubious honor” of doubling in 15 years the average consumption of alcohol in the world.

“the dubious honour European have to double the global average consumption of alcohol is clear, with known health implications for drinkers, people around them and society in general,” said regional director for Europe of the who, Zsuzsanna Jakab, for whom the message of this report is that “the burden of disease associated with alcohol in Europe is avoidable”.

According to this document, changes in social, cultural, geographical and economic between the various countries of the EU have led to distinguish four groups: Eastern and Central – Eastern Europe, Midwestern and Western Europe, Scandinavia and southern Europe, with different consumption patterns and trends.

This differentiation reveals that higher consumption of alcohol occurs in the Eastern and Central – Eastern Europe, with 14 liter and a half of pure alcohol per adult per year, compared with the nearly 12 litres and means of West-Central and Western Europe; the 11.2 litres of southern Europe and the almost 10-liter and a half of the Nordic.

When taken into account the indicators of dangerous alcohol consumption–the proportion of drink taken out of meals in public places or consumption by binge eating (' binge drinking ') – East and Central – Eastern Europe reaches the highest score, 2.9 on a scale ranging from 1 as the registration of minor damage until the 5 as the score that drew the most harmful consumption. Followed by Nordic countries (2.8); the Midwest and West European (1.5) and southern Europe (1,1).

The East and the NORDIC countries increase their consumption

Although the European consumption of alcohol per capita has remained almost constant over the past decade, at the subregional level Nordic and Eastern Europe have been experiencing an increase in the consumption of alcohol among adults, while it has fallen in the West and South of the continent.

According to this report, the mortality rates associated with alcohol were 57 for each 100,000 for males and 15 for every 100,000 women in 2004. Subregional mortality rates also vary widely, from 129 men and 27 women for every 100,000 in Center – East and Eastern Europe, until the lowest rates of 30 men and 10 women in southern Europe.

. Besides these differences, specific subregional trends influence the causes of these deaths. Thus are more deaths in Middle – East and Eastern Europe caused by cardiovascular diseases – except for the ischemic heart disease – and wounds. This is linked to the large amount of alcohol you drink in these countries and the irregular session of FMCG.

In the Nordic countries, the deaths from neurological and mental disorders due to the high prevalence of alcoholism and related disorders associated with consumption of this product are proportionally more frequent. For its part, the cancer is, proportionally, more frequent in southern Europe, where consumption levels was significantly higher for two decades and cancer needs sufficient time to develop.

As well as causing damage to oneself, the consumption of alcohol affects others. According to a review of data from 2004, about 5,500 deaths of men of all ages in the EU and 2,000 deaths of women could be attributed to drinking of others, being the main causes of deaths and injuries from transport accidents, followed by violence as second causes

Furthermore, southern Europe shows the highest proportion of consumers of alcohol are harmful to other peoplein comparison to the total damage related to alcohol in this subregion measured by deaths. However in Middle – East and Eastern Europe calculations reveal the highest proportion of accidents attributable to alcohol consumption motor vehicles.

This report, entitled ' Alcohol in the EU ', suggest a series of proven cost-effective policies to reduce these rates, including the increase in taxes on alcohol, the reduction of the availability and restrictions on its sale.