It has been known for a long time that alcohol is one of the most serious problems among Europeans. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic gave hope that it will get better – the consumption of high-percentage alcoholic beverages has decreased. However, it is now known that only temporarily. We still drink a lot and die from alcohol abuse. In some countries, death rates are alarmingly high. Our neighbors dominate among those in the top 10, but Poland, unfortunately, is not “worse”.
- Belarus has the highest mortality rate due to alcohol abuse – it is 21,3 (the number of deaths per 100 inhabitants)
- Next places are occupied by neighboring countries, incl. Our Country and Ukraine
- Poland, with the index of 8,2, is ninth in the ranking
- Interestingly, in Europe, the lowest rates of deaths due to the abuse of spirits are recorded in countries where alcohol frequently appears on the table, such as Italy and Spain.
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Where in Europe are the most people dying from alcohol?
Data from the Institute of Health Metrics and Assessment (IHME), an independent global center for health research at the University of Washington, shows that the country with the highest death rate from alcohol abuse (21,3) is Belarus. It is followed by Our Country (14,6), Ukraine (13,2), Estonia (12,2) and Latvia (10,8).
Poland is among the countries with a death rate from the misuse of spirits below 10 (precisely 8,2). In this respect, our country is at a similar level to Denmark (8,7), Moldova (8,4) and Lithuania (8,4). Finland closes the top ten (6,6).
You can see at first glance that the countries of the eastern and northern part of the continent are in the lead in the inglorious ranking, although there are exceptions here as well. Although Denmark and Finland are high on the list, their neighboring countries can boast a much better result. The index of Germans is 2,5, Sweden is 2,2 and Norway is 3,0.
As noted by prof. Agnieszka Szuster-Ciesielska from UMCS in Lublin, this map is, of course, only illustrative, because the data may be underestimated. This is due, first, to the different methodologies used in each country and, second, to the difficulty of determining whether the death was due to alcohol abuse or whether the link was not so obvious.
The rest of the text below the video.
The lowest rates are presented by the countries of Southern Europe (except for Slovenia – 5,9). Particular attention is paid to those where alcohol, especially wine, is often consumed with meals and in the company of other people. This is mainly Italy (0,3), Greece (0,3) and Spain (0,6), but also countries such as Albania (0,5) and Macedonia (0,9) are low in the ranking.
These indicators are all the more interesting as alcohol consumption is very high in these countries. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank on alcohol consumption in Europe (the most recent from 2018), Spain, with 12,72 liters per person, is in fourth place, and France (12,33 l) and Portugal (12,03) close behind. Poland ranks eighth (11,71 liters per person).
How does alcohol kill?
Alcohol-related deaths are most often associated with long-term wasting of the body and failure of one or more organs. Meanwhile, according to WHO data from 2018. among the most common causes of death related to alcohol consumption are injuries, for example as a result of a traffic accident, but also physical violence or self-mutilation (23% of cases).
One in five alcohol abusers dies as a result of digestive system disease (21%), and almost the same number (19%) from cardiovascular diseases. The remaining 36 percent. are victims of infectious diseases, cancer, mental disorders and other health problems caused by alcohol consumption.
Among the most common diseases associated with alcohol abuse are:
- cirrhosis,
- oral cancer
- inflammation of the pancreas,
- tuberculosis,
- epilepsy,
- colorectal cancer
- hypertension.
According to the WHO, 3 million people worldwide die each year from alcohol. 75 percent deaths affect men.
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We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to the diet. Do you have to stick to it 100% to stay healthy and feel good? Do you really have to start every day with breakfast? What is it like with sipping meals and eating fruit? Listen: