The Effects Of Harmful Alcohol Consumption

Number 1 risk factor for premature death in men aged 15 to 59 years2

5.1%of the global burden

of disease4

3.3 million killed

accounting for about5.9% of all deaths1

Alcohol is a risk factor to over 60 types of diseases5

caused by harmful alcohol consumptionand alcohol use disorders (AUDs)

in Europe3

Costs of excessive alcohol consumption, 60% of which are attributable to the harmful use

alcohol and AUDs9

70%of net mortality

€155.8 billion

Up to 12% of European children live in families

adversely affected by alcohol8

1

16%of child abuse and neglect7

1/4 of workplace accidents

linked to alcohol11

For more information on the Awareness Week on Alcohol Related Harm please see: www.awarh.eu

Pattern of drinking

Average volume

Alcohol use disorders

Self-inflicted injuries

Ischemic heart disease (IHD)

Stroke

Epilepsy

Cirrichosis of the liver

Liver cancer

Oesophagus cancer

Mouth and pharynx cancer

Breast cancer

€ 54 bnCrime and Traffic

Accidents

€ 27.7 bnHealth

€ 74.1bn Productivity

Loss

Costs due to alcohol in the EU, 2010 (€ billion)10

% Burden (DALYs)

34.2%

19.5%

2.6%

2.3%

3.1%

9.6%

3.2%

2.3%

1.4%

0.8%6

Harm

Cost

sM

orta

lity

Genes Environment

BrainAdaptation

Alcohol consumption

Increased endorphinu-system

Increased dopamine

Reinforcement

Alcohol can hijack your brain: the harmful alcohol use cycle

Healthcare interventions for harmful alcohol consumption

Low risk drinking

(<20 grams per day – WHO AUDIT

score 7-0)

Monitor your drinking

Hazardousdrinking

(>20 grams per day – WHO AUDIT score

15-8)

Brief intervention

Harmfuldrinking

(>20 grams per day – WHO AUDIT score

19-16)

Treatment in primary care

Severe disorder(>20 grams per day –

WHO AUDIT score 40-20)

Specialized treatment

Higher consumption of alcohol

Alcohol is toxic to most organs: the harmful effects of alcohol on the human body13,14

Depression

Bad Skin

Heart Disease, Hypertension and Stroke

Breast Cancer

Pancreatic Disease

Stomach Complications

Bladder Complications

Cognitive Impairment

Impaired Sleep

Throat Cancer

Impaired Sport/Exercise Performance

Weight Gain

Liver Disease and Cancer

Kidney Impairment /Diabetes

Bowel Cancer/IBS

Reproductive Health Complications

Increased Gout

Depression

Bad Skin

Cognitive Impairment

Impaired Sleep

Throat Cancer

Impaired Sport/Exercise PerformanceHeart Disease,

Hypertension and Stroke

Weight Gain

Liver Disease and Cancer

Kidney Impairment /Diabetes

Impaired Sexual Health Bladder Complications

Stomach Complications

Pancreatic Disease

Bowel Cancer/IBS

Increased Gout

The Effects Of Harmful Alcohol Consumption

1. WHO, 2014, Status Report on Alcohol, http://www.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/112736/1/9789240692763_eng.pdf?ua=12. European Commission, 2011, Alcohol, Work and Productivity: Scientific Opinion of the Science Group of the European Alcohol and Health Forum, http://ec.europa.eu/health/alcohol/docs/science_02_en.pdf3. Rehm J and Shield KD, 2012, Interventions for alcohol dependence in Europe: a missed opportunity to improve public health, based on the book “Alcohol consumption, alcohol dependence and attributable burden of disease in Europe: potential gains

from effective interventions for alcohol dependence” 4. WHO, 2014, op. cit.5. WHO, 2010, Status Report on NCDs, http://www.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/112736/1/9789240692763_eng.pdf?ua=16. OECD, 2013, Harmful Use Of Alcohol: Trends And Policy Conclusions, Directorate For Employment, Labour And Social Affairs’ Health Committee7. NICE National Clinical Practice Guidelines 115, 2011, Alcohol-use disorders. Diagnosis, assessment and management of harmful drinking and alcohol dependence. Page 348. Anderson & Baumberg, 2006, A report for the European Commission, Institute of Alcohol Studies; Alcohol in Europe. A Public Health Perspective. Page 203 9. Rehm J and Shield KD, 2012, op. cit.10. Rehm J et al., 2012, Modeling the impact of alcohol dependence on mortality burden and the effect of available treatment interventions in the European Union, Schuckit Ch. 98. In: Davis et al. Neuropsychopharmacology: The fifth Generation of Progress

2002. Page 139911. European Workplace and Alcohol project (EWA), 2013, Factsheet http://www.eurocare.org/content/download/15763/87219/file/EWA%20Factsheet%20Final.pdf 12. Rehm J, 2014, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada. Expert Roundtable Meeting: Screening and intervention for harmful alcohol use as a tool to improve the management of hypertension in primary care, 06 May 2014 Barcelona.13. http://drink-less.com/global/whats-at-stake/effects-on-the-body-men 14. http://drink-less.com/global/whats-at-stake/effects-on-the-body-women 15. Anderson P and Baumberg B, 2006, A report for the European Commission, Institute of Alcohol Studies; Alcohol in Europe. A Public Health Perspective. Page 14216. Rehm & Roerecke, 2013, Alc Alc17. Rehm & Roerecke, 2013, Alc Alc

For more information on the Awareness Week on Alcohol Related Harm please see: www.awarh.eu

Reducing alcohol consumption brings significant health benefits15

Rela

tive

risk

of l

iver

cir

rhos

is

High Medium Low High Medium Low0

5

10

Alcohol consumption

Rela

tive

risk

of h

yper

tens

ion

0

2

4

Alcohol consumption

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

0 5 10 15 200

5

10

15

20

25

30

3 5 10 15 20

Typical risk curve for Risk level forgastrointestinal tumors* alcohol (e.g., liver

cirrhosis mortality)16

Relative gain in risk for mortality of reducing by three drinks/day

for different levels of drinking17

All risk curves for alcohol are exponential, either based on average consumption or on blood alcohol concentration (BAC)

Relative risk of mortality

*Source: https://www.ima.org.il/FilesUpload/IMAJ/0/55/27730.pdf

Reducing from 14 to11 drinks per day

reduces the mortalityrisk about 10 times as

much as reducingfrom 3 to 0 drinks/day

Heavybeer

Winedrinkers

Abstension

6

5

4

3

2

1

0