Unhealthy Drinking Widespread Around the World
Mar. 4, 2013 — A new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows that alcohol is now the third leading cause of the global burden of disease and injury, despite the fact most adults worldwide abstain from drinking. This research, part of the 2010 Global Burden of Disease study, was published in this month's issue of the journal Addiction . It also found that Canadians drink more than 50 per cent above the global average. "Alcohol consumption has been found to cause more than 200 different diseases and injuries," said Kevin Shield, the lead author of the study. "These include not only well-known outcomes of drinking such as liver cirrhosis or traffic accidents, but also several types of cancer, such as female breast cancer." The study reports the amount and patterns of alcohol consumption by country for 2005, and calculates estimates for these figures for 2010.It reveals vast differences by geographical region in the numbers of people who ...