The World Health Organization (WHO) deals with alcohol consumption statistics at the global level. The organization conducts a large-scale study of this problem every five years. The latest analytical report on this topic was published by WHO in 2014.

In the European tradition there is no such stigma as “alcoholics”. They usually talk about “people who have problems with alcohol.” The figure cited is 10-15% of people from the entire population who have such problems of varying severity.

There is no drug registration of alcoholics in Europe, so it is impossible to name the percentage of alcoholics in our understanding of this phrase.

Europeans are the most drinking people in the world. It is logical to assume that in countries with big amount alcohol consumption, a higher percentage of people dependent on alcohol and a shorter life expectancy. However, statistical data show that there is no strict relationship between these factors.

The transformation of alcohol use into abuse is influenced by indirect factors, namely:

• People's standard of living.
• Drinking culture.
• Types of alcoholic beverages that the population predominantly consumes.
• Attitude towards patients with alcoholism.

Alcoholism is generally accepted to be characteristic of social groups with low status, education and income. Of course, alcoholism also affects prosperous members of society, for example, those belonging to show business and the entertainment industry. However, these cases are isolated and, like any exceptions, only confirm the general rule. High level life is associated with a well-paid job, certain obligations, and a corresponding circle of acquaintances. Taken together, these factors do not initially suggest alcohol abuse.

The drinking culture that exists in European countries also prevents people from slipping into abuse. It is customary there to drink in bars and pubs, and drinking does not become an end in itself, but accompanies spending time in pleasant company.

It should also be taken into account that alcohol in European countries is not cheap and is several times higher than the cost of domestic alcoholic drinks.

This applies to both regular vodka and branded drinks. The high price puts barriers to drinking. Connoisseurs of quality alcoholic beverages drink a little.

The types of alcoholic beverages consumed influence the alcoholization of the population. In theory, over long periods of time, alcoholism can be formed by drinking beer, wine, or any other drink. However, the abuse of strong alcoholic drinks makes the formation of alcoholism faster and more aggressive. For example, in Moldova, with one of the highest levels of alcohol consumption (mainly in the form of wine), life expectancy is one of the highest in Europe.

Finally, the attitude towards people with alcoholism in Europe is characterized by humanity and the promotion of their inclusion in the surrounding life. For this purpose, there are Alcoholics Anonymous groups, various trainings and psychotherapeutic courses that help addicted people not to feel like useless outcasts. A high level of socio-psychological assistance to patients with alcoholism prevents relapses and promotes the socialization of patients with alcoholism; they are helped by:

• Apply for a job.
• Create a family.
• In hard situations.

In general, it can be noted that in Europe the problem of alcoholism is not considered a priority. European society is more concerned with the treatment of somatic diseases that result from drinking alcohol in any quantity.

Situation in Russia

It is a deep misconception that people drink more in Russia than anywhere else. They drink a lot, but at the same time there are countries where they drink more. The erroneous opinion about the extreme spread of alcoholism in Russia is formed against the backdrop of general situation with alcohol consumption, which in Russia has its own local specifics:

The listed nuances of drinking alcohol in Russia determine what is called the national drinking habit.

With regard to alcoholism, it is difficult to talk about objective figures. First, not all countries keep official records of alcohol abusers.

Secondly, even where it is carried out, for example, in Russia, it is difficult to understand to what extent the official figures reflect the real picture: after all, in addition to those registered at the drug treatment clinic, a significant portion of abusers are not included in these statistics.

It has been proven that in societies in which alcoholic drinks are on open sale, the percentage of people applying for medical care due to addiction, is stable at 2%. The indicator may fluctuate at the level of statistical error from country to country.

Percentage of people with “alcohol problems”, i.e. of abusers who have not yet sought medical help for their addiction is stable and ranges from 10% to 15%. This indicator is universal in nature and is true for all countries and societies in which alcohol is freely sold.

If these percentages are translated into the number of people using Russia as an example, we get the following picture. The first figure, indicating those who are registered or have sought medical help for addiction, is equal to 2.8 million people. The second figure, indicating the number of people who have “problems with alcohol” or abuse alcohol, is 14-21 million people.

For the European Union, with a population of 500 million people, these figures are 10 million and 51-76 million people, respectively.

Despite the fact that the first places in the leaders in alcohol consumption are confidently and traditionally occupied by European countries, the attitude of European residents towards alcohol is heterogeneous and differentiated according to country.

Let's look at the states that are in the top five with the highest per capita alcohol consumption. Data based on 2014 WHO report.

Belarus:

• The country with the most drinking population: 17.5 liters of alcohol equivalent per capita per year.
• 26.5% of the population drinks alcohol.
• The share of deaths associated with the consequences of alcohol consumption is 34.7%.
• Life expectancy – 72.1 g.

• 16.8 liters of alcohol equivalent per year.
• 32.2% of the population drinks alcohol.
• The share of deaths associated with the consequences of alcohol consumption is 33.1%.
• Life expectancy – 81.4 g.

• Life expectancy – 73.9 g.
• The share of deaths associated with the consequences of alcohol consumption is 30.9%.
• 36.7% of the population drinks alcohol.
• 15.4 liters of alcohol equivalent per year.

• 15.1 liters of alcohol equivalent per year.
• 19.3% of the population drinks alcohol.
• The share of deaths associated with the consequences of alcohol consumption is 30.5%.
• Life expectancy – 70.5 g.

• 14.4 liters of alcohol equivalent per year.
• 7.9% of the population drinks alcohol.
• The share of deaths associated with the consequences of alcohol consumption is 8.9%.
• Life expectancy – 68.7 g.

The top ten countries with the highest alcohol consumption also included other countries from central and eastern Europe:

• Ukraine (13.9 l).
• Andorra (13.8 l).
• Hungary (13.3 l).
• Czech Republic (13 l).
• Slovakia (13 l).

Economically developed countries are ranked in the following positions:

• 18th place - France (12.2 l).
• 23rd place - Germany (11.8 l).
• 25th place - Great Britain (11.6 l).
• 42nd place - the Netherlands (9.9 l).
• 48th place - USA (9.2 l).
• 141st place - Israel (2.8 l)

When they talk about mortality from alcoholism, they mean a complex of causes associated with alcohol abuse. This:

• Accidents – 29.6%.
• Oncological diseases – 21.6%.
• Liver cirrhosis – 16.6%.
• Cardiovascular diseases – 14%.
• Other reasons – 18.2%.

On average, 4% of deaths worldwide each year are caused by excessive alcohol consumption. This corresponds to 2.5 million people.

Mortality from alcoholism in the world

When they talk about mortality from alcoholism, they mean a complex of causes associated with alcohol abuse. These are: Accidents - 29.6%. Oncological diseases - 21.6%. Liver cirrhosis - 16.6%. Cardiovascular diseases - 14%. Other reasons - 18.2%. On average, 4% of deaths worldwide each year are caused by excessive alcohol consumption. This corresponds to 2.5 million people.

Rating of countries by level of alcohol consumption

Despite the fact that the first places in the leaders in alcohol consumption are confidently and traditionally occupied by European countries, the attitude of European residents towards alcohol is heterogeneous and differentiated according to country. Let's look at the states that are in the top five with the highest per capita alcohol consumption. Data based on 2014 WHO report.

Belarus: The country with the heaviest drinking population: 17.5 liters of alcohol equivalent per capita per year. 26.5% of the population drinks alcohol. The share of deaths associated with the consequences of alcohol consumption is 34.7%. Life expectancy - 72.1 g.

Moldova: 16.8 liters of alcohol equivalent per year. 32.2% of the population drinks alcohol. The share of deaths associated with the consequences of alcohol consumption is 33.1%. Life expectancy - 81.4 g.

Lithuania: Life expectancy - 73.9 years. Proportion of deaths associated with the consequences of alcohol consumption - 30.9%. 36.7% of the population drinks alcohol. 15.4 liters of alcohol equivalent per year.

Russia: 15.1 liters of alcohol equivalent per year. 19.3% of the population drinks alcohol. The share of deaths associated with the consequences of alcohol consumption is 30.5%. Life expectancy - 70.5 g.

Romania: 14.4 liters of alcohol equivalent per year. 7.9% of the population drinks alcohol. The share of deaths associated with the consequences of alcohol consumption is 8.9%. Life expectancy - 68.7 g.

The top ten countries with the highest alcohol consumption also included other countries in central and eastern Europe: Ukraine (13.9 l). Andorra (13.8 l). Hungary (13.3 l). Czech Republic (13 l). Slovakia (13 l).

Economically developed countries are ranked in the following positions: 18th place - France (12.2 l). 23rd place - Germany (11.8 l). 25th place - Great Britain (11.6 l). 42nd place - the Netherlands (9.9 l). 48th place - USA (9.2 l). 141st place - Israel (2.8 l).

Alcohol is a highly toxic poison that poisons all systems and organs of the human body. With prolonged use, irreversible degradation occurs in the body and the development of numerous diseases. Most of them are incurable, leading to death. Death from alcohol abuse is the main cause of premature death in apparently healthy people.

What exactly can cause death from alcohol? Alcohol addicts die as a result of complications of various pathologies. But death due to intoxication can also occur among young people who do not abuse alcohol. If the concentration of ethanol in the blood increases significantly, not a single doctor undertakes to predict how the body will react. Sometimes, even after consuming a small dose of ethanol, a person already needs medical attention.

According to statistics, about half a million people become victims of alcohol every year in Russia.

Death by alcohol intoxication- the most common cause of death due to intoxication. The average dose of ethanol incompatible with life is 250-400 g (taken on an empty stomach over a short period of time). When a person’s body is young and strong, it copes well with even a high concentration of ethanol at first. But with each next dose, it weakens more and more.

According to statistics, as a result alcohol intoxication In Russia, about 500,000 people die annually.

Every glass of alcohol taken inevitably brings a person closer to death. The fatal outcome is formed by the gradual processes of destruction of internal organs. And there comes a moment when fatal alcohol poisoning occurs (if for some reason a person, while intoxicated, does not receive medical assistance on time).

Stages of alcohol intoxication

The mechanisms that lead a person to death due to intoxication are not yet fully understood. Only a chain of events has been identified that preceded death as a result of intoxication:

1. A significant increase in the level of ethanol in the blood leads to heart rhythm disturbances.
2. The heart stops working in its usual rhythm, creating insufficient blood supply to the internal organs.
3. Sudden coronary (cardiac) death (SCD) occurs.

The fatal starting point can be considered a level of alcohol concentration in the blood of 1.5-2 ppm. Fatalities from alcohol due to VCS currently account for 15-20% of the total mortality rate in our country. Moreover, these statistics include people who did not even complain of any heart problems.

In the case when a person suffers from ischemia, death after drinking alcohol can occur instantly, even after a small dose of alcohol. There is a very high risk of dying the next day after drinking alcoholic beverages.

Mortality due to disease

According to statistics from Rospotrebnadzor, in our country the number of officially diagnosed alcoholics exceeds the mark of 4.5 million people. This amounts to about 3-4% of the total population of the Russian Federation. At the same time, only 1.5% of those suffering from alcoholism are registered with drug treatment specialists..

About 14% of women and 30% of men die annually due to diseases that develop due to regular consumption of alcoholic beverages. The most common causes of death are:

• cancer: 20%;
• exacerbation of existing chronic pathologies: 18%;
• liver disease caused by alcohol (mostly cirrhosis): 17%;
• diseases of cardio-vascular system caused by long-term alcohol consumption: 14%.

Negative Impact ethyl alcohol on the functioning of internal organs is detected when consuming alcohol, regardless of the volume. And regular and prolonged consumption of alcoholic beverages causes fatal degradation of internal organs.

Alcohol affects everything internal organs and body systems

The following diseases pose the greatest danger to human life (all of them develop due to prolonged exposure to ethanol on the body):

1. Genitourinary system: nephritis, acute urinary retention.
2. CNS: liver encephalopathy, polyneuropathy, epileptic seizures, myopathy.
3. Gastrointestinal tract: pancreatitis, liver failure, esophageal reflux, gastrointestinal ulcers.
4. Cardiac pathologies: arrhythmia, acute alcoholic cardiomyopathy, myocardial dystrophy.

Death from alcoholism can also occur due to the development of severe pneumonia due to severe weakening immune system. Doctors have noted cases of death due to exacerbation diabetes mellitus, gout, disorders of carbohydrate and purine metabolism due to drunkenness.

Death due to accidents

The statistics of deaths from alcohol in Russia includes this rather extensive list of deaths that occurred as a result of various misfortunes that occur against the background of intoxication. A person who abuses alcohol can face death in a variety of places..

One of the most common cases of death is various falls of a drunk person. People, having lost their orientation, fall onto roadways, railway tracks, from heights and receive injuries incompatible with life.

According to statistics, the number of deaths due to various accidents resulting from intoxication varies between 25-30% of the total number of deaths. The most common cases are:

• drowning;
• carbon monoxide poisoning;
• falling from a great height;
• overheating or hypothermia;
• falling under the wheels of various vehicles;
• death in a fire started by a drunk himself.

Death due to hypothermia

A common cause of death for a drunk is severe hypothermia. Death occurs when the body cools down temperature conditions from +2⁰С to -20⁰С. When a person falls on damp ground and remains motionless for a long time, the body’s heat loss is rapid and colossal. This increases overall hypothermia and leads to rapid death.

Drinking alcohol in the cold is extremely dangerous

Drunk driving

People also die en masse when driving while intoxicated due to accidents caused by them. Moreover, this is the most common death of young people who are in their prime. Road accidents happen due to the destructive effects of alcohol on the human brain.

Ethanol, by destroying neurons and stopping the work of individual brain areas, significantly inhibits the reaction. An intoxicated person needs much more time to notice the danger and respond adequately to it. Moreover, a slowdown in mental abilities and natural reflexes is observed due to the consumption of even low-alcohol drinks.

Death due to incompatibility of alcohol and drugs

Ethyl alcohol is absolutely incompatible with most medications often used in the treatment of people. There are drugs that are incompatible with alcohol that cause death; unfortunately, such cases are very common and add to the already sad statistics of death due to alcohol.

Alcohol-related mortality statistics

Sometimes a glass is enough to cause fatal intoxication. low alcohol drink taken as part of drug treatment. The greatest danger comes from combining alcohol with the following drugs:

• antipyretics: form severe ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract;
• cardiovascular: the risk of heart failure increases several times;
• diuretics: increase the occurrence of problems in the heart, contributes to the development of pancreatitis;
• analgesics: form severe acute tachycardia, which leads to cardiac problems;
• sleeping pills and sedatives: provoke severe drowsiness, can cause coma and death;
• antibiotics: they cause the development of a disulfiramod reaction; against the background of severe intoxication, internal organs fail.

Complete abstinence from alcohol during drug treatment becomes the most important condition safety during the course of treatment and guarantee of a person’s cure. But a certain number of people forget about this strict rule every year, and the horrifying statistics of mortality are added to.

Some certain medications that are incompatible with alcohol are especially dangerous and can lead to death. A fatal outcome can occur even when taking one pill with light beer. Check out the list of medications that can become fatal when used while intoxicated:

Death due to surrogates

Even a high price and exclusive labels do not always prove quality alcoholic products. You can stumble upon a deadly surrogate even in reputable markets. By consuming such alcoholic drinks, a person risks death, because instead of ethyl alcohol, they use methyl alcohol. This compound is harmful to the human body.

According to statistics, about 40-45,000 people die annually from intoxication with surrogate alcohol.

A large number of deaths are caused by surrogate alcohol poisoning

Methyl alcohol is prohibited for use in Food Industry, it is successfully used in gas and fuel production. Various pesticides and solvents are created on its basis. But due to the fact that methanol is practically indistinguishable from ethanol, underground dealers create cheap alcohol based on it. Besides methyl alcohol, people get poisoned due to the addition of:

• denatured alcohols;
• ethylene glycol;
• wood alcohol.

The use of alcohol substitutes, even in small doses, causes severe alcohol poisoning. And, in the case of a weakened body, available chronic diseases, death due to the consumption of surrogate alcohol comes to a person almost instantly. People die without having time to wait for doctors to arrive.

All persons suffering from chronic alcoholism are characterized by extreme weakening of the immune system. Based on this, drinkers’ susceptibility to various pathologies and dangerous infections increases sharply. With alcoholism, people die when they are already seriously ill, experiencing unbearable pain.

For what exact reason the death of an alcohol addict occurs, sometimes it becomes not so important. Indeed, in the presence of this disease, especially in its final stages, the patient loses all connection with the outside world. Does not perceive loved ones, does not understand himself, becoming completely inadequate.

Therefore, the problem of alcoholism should be solved as soon as the first alarm bells appear. Don’t put it off until later, and even more so, don’t let the development of alcohol addiction take its course.

Today, alcoholism has become an epidemic that has spread throughout the world and is taking new lives every day. A 2014 World Health Organization report found that alcohol has killed more people than AIDS and tuberculosis combined. Experts have found out how many people die from alcohol per year, and what are the reasons for such statistics.

Mortality from alcohol in the world

It is estimated that 3.3 million people died from the consequences of alcoholism in 2012. To date, the situation with mortality from alcohol has not improved: the level of alcohol consumption in Europe, America and Africa has not changed significantly, but in Asia it has increased. Alcohol surveys are conducted by the World Health Organization every five years. The latest statistics (2014) took into account data for 188 countries, giving the number of alcoholic beverages per population over 15 years of age. The sad palm was won by Moldova, where there are over 18 liters of alcohol per capita. Russia is fourth on the list - 15.8 liters. It is not surprising that about 6 percent of deaths in the world are the consequences of diseases, acts of violence and accidents caused by alcohol consumption.

Alcoholism in Russia

Over the past hundred years, rates of alcohol dependence and, consequently, mortality from it have been rapidly increasing. Rospotrebnadzor data for 2016 shows that more than five million people suffer from alcoholism in Russia, and only 1.7 percent of alcoholics are registered. Mortality from drinking alcoholic beverages per year is half a million people in the country. Alcohol abuse is directly or indirectly associated with:

• 62% suicides;
• 72% murders;
• almost 68% of deaths from;
• 60% of deaths;
• over 23% of deaths from cardiovascular diseases.

Official statistics state that alcohol causes the death of 3 percent of Russians, although these data are greatly underestimated. Unofficial estimates put the figure at about 24 percent. Autopsies show the presence of alcohol in the blood of 70% of victims aged 30-45 years. Often, pathologists do not indicate in the documentation that a person died because of vodka, at the request of relatives or officials who do not want to spoil the dynamics of alcoholism in their region.

Causes of high mortality from alcohol

Of every thousand Russians who die, thirteen deaths are related to alcohol. This state of affairs is usually explained by the relatively low standard of living, the availability of alcoholic beverages at any time and the availability of cheap alcoholic beverages. However, in rich countries many people also die from alcoholism. But in Muslim countries, where alcohol is prohibited and the level of health care is lower than in Russia, the mortality rate is also generally lower. In fact, in our country there are no effective trends to motivate a person not to drink at all.

In order not to add to the sad statistics, it is better to give up alcohol as early as possible. In the first stages of addiction, proven medications that can be freely purchased on the Internet will help you cope with this.

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Alcohol abuse is known to contribute to the development of somatic and mental illnesses and, directly or indirectly, is one of the most important causes of mortality. According to data, alcoholism and related diseases as a cause of death are second only to cardiovascular diseases and malignant neoplasms. Only about 100 thousand die annually directly from alcoholism in the USA, in England - more than 40 thousand [Gukasyan A. G., 1968], in France - 18 thousand people [Dobrovolsky Yu. A., 1968]. According to O. Geneke (1968), mortality rates from alcoholism per 100,000 population in 1965 in France were 11.9; in the SFRY - 2; USA-1.4; Sweden - 0.9; Canada-1; VNR -0.7; PNR -0.3; Czechoslovakia -0.2.

Many scientists [Strelchuk I.V., 1973; Baryot A., 1957; Lederman M. S., 1958; Steudler F., 1974, etc.] note a direct relationship between the mortality rate from alcoholic diseases and alcohol consumption per capita. In particular, the French researcher F. Steudler (1974) traces a direct relationship between mortality from liver cirrhosis (Table 11) and per capita alcohol consumption in individual countries of the world.

The number of deaths from liver cirrhosis in France increased from 2763 cases in 1946 to 17,463 in 1967. The number of patients admitted to psychiatric hospitals for alcoholism increased from 6704 in 1952 to 25,937 in 1966.

Statistics are provided on the increase in mortality from alcoholic cirrhosis in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. Mortality from alcoholic cirrhosis in these countries for last years increased by 3-6 times. J. Chevallier (1968) notes that the mortality rate among patients with complications of alcoholism treated in a therapeutic hospital was 11.6%. Most often, death occurred from hepatic coma. The average age of deceased women is 56 years, men - 60 years.

Liver cirrhosis caused by excessive alcohol consumption accounted for 3,140 deaths in 1976, or 14.8 per 100,000 population.

A statistical survey organized by US insurance companies showed that the average mortality rate for systematic drinkers is almost 2 times higher than for non-drinkers. Alcohol abuse, according to American authors, reduces average duration life for about 20 years. It is no coincidence that in capitalist countries some insurance companies refuse to insure the lives of alcoholics or charge them high insurance premiums.

Alcohol abuse is associated with suicide, which is a number of Western countries one of the most important causes of death. Suicide among people suffering from alcoholism is 10 times more common than among the general population. Thus, according to the Australian researcher J. Santamaria (1972), from 17 to 22.4% of all suicide attempts occur due to alcoholism. According to J. Moser (1974), up to 32.8% of people suffering from alcoholism in various countries make suicide attempts. In the United States, 15 thousand people commit suicide every year, and 25 thousand people die from diseases directly caused by alcohol.

The American magazine “US News and World Report” in the article “The Growth of Alcoholism in the USA and New Measures to Combat It” (1973, No. 10) provides data that alcohol abuse is the cause of half of all fatal transport accidents, half of all murders, a quarter of suicides; 80 thousand deaths per year are directly or indirectly related to alcoholism.

According to the Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination of the city of Kuibyshev, death from ethyl alcohol poisoning accounts for 7.6% of all cases of violent death and sudden death.

According to R. Costello, S. Schneider (1974), the main causes of death in patients with alcoholism are cardiovascular diseases, accidents, acute alcohol intoxication and liver cirrhosis. The authors found that the largest proportion of mortality occurs at the onset of alcoholism, in the first 5-6 years of its development. Violent death and death from acute alcohol intoxication are more often the lot of young people, and death from cardiovascular diseases and cirrhosis of the liver is more common among older people.

The works of G. Lowe, Hodges, A. Johnson (1974) show that in the state of Georgia, in 12.9 cases per 100,000 population, death is associated with alcohol consumption. In 67.8% of the deceased, death was directly related to alcoholism, alcoholic psychosis and liver cirrhosis. All of the deceased had a high blood alcohol concentration.

W. Schmidt, J. Sint (1972), based on epidemiological studies of the causes of death in patients with alcoholism, come to the conclusion that the main causes leading to death are respiratory and digestive systems, pneumonia, liver cirrhosis, suicidal tendencies. These causes account for 2/3 of all deaths. In the remaining third, cardiac pathology ranks first. Mortality from sclerotic and degenerative changes in the heart muscle in patients with alcoholism was 2 times higher than among the entire population (the authors explain this by alcohol intoxication, a special emotional state, long-term smoking, and lack of adequate nutrition in patients with alcoholism). In the etiology of cancer, according to the authors, the role played not so much by alcohol intoxication as by smoking abuse. Mortality from alcoholism is highest among young people. The authors distinguish between acute and chronic effects of alcohol leading to death. In acute alcohol intoxication, death occurs as a result of an accident, suicide, alcoholic psychosis, pneumonia; for chronic alcohol intoxication - from cancer of the larynx, pharynx, esophagus, alcoholic psychosis, heart disease, pneumonia, cirrhosis of the liver.