Do drugs and alcohol affect health and well-being? Yes, alcohol and drug addiction claim millions of lives.
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Alcohol
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‘Did You Know?
In 2019, young people aged 20-39 years accounted for the highest proportion (13 percent) of alcohol-related deaths. #alcoholuse #substanceuse #drugaddiction’
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In 2019, young people aged 20-39 years accounted for the highest proportion (13 percent) of alcohol-related deaths. #alcoholuse #substanceuse #drugaddiction’
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Drug Addiction and Health
"Substance use severely harms individual health, increasing the risk of chronic diseases, and mental health conditions, and tragically resulting in millions of preventable deaths every year. It places a heavy burden on families and communities, increasing exposure to accidents, injuries, and violence," WHO Director General, said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus."To build a healthier, more equitable society, we must urgently commit to bold actions that reduce the negative health and social consequences of alcohol consumption and make treatment for substance use disorders accessible and affordable," he added.
Deaths from Excessive Alcohol Use
The report also showed that low-income countries account for the highest death rates due to alcohol consumption, while high-income countries had the lowest rates. Importantly, an estimated 1.6 million deaths related to alcohol consumption were from non-communicable diseases, including 474,000 deaths from cardiovascular diseases and 401,000 from cancer. Some 724,000 deaths were due to injuries, such as those from traffic crashes, self-harm, and interpersonal violence. Another 284,000 deaths were linked to communicable diseases, like HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis (2✔ ✔Trusted SourceOver 3 million annual deaths due to alcohol and drug use, majority among men
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Young people aged 20-39 years accounted for the highest proportion (13 percent) of alcohol-attributable deaths in 2019, said the report. It called for "an urgent need to accelerate actions globally towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.5 by 2030 by reducing alcohol and drug consumption and improving access to quality treatment for substance use disorders".
References:
- Alcohol - (https://www.who.int/health-topics/alcohol)
- Over 3 million annual deaths due to alcohol and drug use, majority among men - (https://www.who.int/news/item/25-06-2024-over-3-million-annual-deaths-due-to-alcohol-and-drug-use-majority-among-men)
Source-IANS