Scientists in Canada and Germany, have raised the alarm over the increasing rates of individual alcohol consumption globally, and urged policy makers all over the world to address it.
Their call is based on the findings of a new study, which shows that the rate of individual alcohol consumption has increased by 70 per cent.
Based on the result of the large new study published in the ‘The Lancet’ the authors warned that the trend was a dangerous pattern that policymakers must address.
The research team argues that countries and policymakers should up their games when it comes to prevention, calling for strategies such as increased taxation on alcoholic drinks and reducing the availability of alcohol as much as possible.
People around the world are drinking more alcohol than they were almost 30 years ago, reported the ‘Medical News Today’. Drinking can cause a number of health problems.
Previous studies have shown that one drink a day increases the risk of breast cancer in women. In Europe, alcohol consumption — among adults, per capita, per year — decreased by 12 per cent, from 11.2 liters to 9.8 liters between 2010 and 2017.
Over the same time period, alcohol consumption saw a small increase, from 9.3 liters to 9.8 liters, in the United States (US), and from 7.1 liters to 7.4 liters in China, though it decreased in the United Kingdom (UK), from 12.3 liters to 11.4 liters.
Similarly, research has also shown that people who drink excessively have a greater risk of liver disease, heart disease, depression, stroke, and stomach bleeding, as well as cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus, larynx, pharynx, liver, colon, and rectum. In addition, they may also have problems managing conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, pain, and sleep disorders.
And they may increase their chances for contracting sexually transmitted infections from unsafe sex.