A lot, apparently. So says the World Health Organization.
According to their recent report, the WHO’s European region boasts the heaviest consumption of all in terms of alcoholic beverages.
And believe it or not, the WHO’s European region doesn’t even include Russia.
The report goes on to say that approximately 800,000 European lives are lost annually to alcohol and alcohol-related health problems. The damage is disproportionately among men, and contributes to a substantial decline in average life expectancy.
Apparently alcohol consumption “…is a leading risk factor for disability,” as well as “…a major cause of more than 200 chronic diseases.” The WHO cites liver and heart disease in particular, along with diabetes and a variety of cancers, plus a host of mental health conditions and disorders.
I’m sure that’s true for drinkers in the United States, too. So why wasn’t alcohol mentioned in RFK Jr.’s recent report on children and youth? Then again, neither was smoking, although most smokers, like most drinkers, acknowledge having begun use in early adolescence.
Lobbying by the alcohol industry is also an issue in Europe. That won’t surprise us in America. One study done here concluded that over the years, Big Alcohol alone had spent $541 million on political lobbying, with four organizations, industry-sponsored, accounting for more than half of the money.
The alcohol industry efforts were exceeded only by those on behalf of ultra-processed foods, gambling, and tobacco. It made me think of Christopher Buckley’s hilarious book, Thank You for Smoking, which featured regular meetings of a group of industry lobbyists who jokingly referred to themselves as The Merchants of Death.
At the recent WHO forum, attendees focused on the need for more public education efforts related to issues such as alcohol’s adverse effects on heart disease, sleep, suicide risk, and mental health problems in general.
Makes sense, But I would add cancer to the list. That always gets people’s attention.
