world Health Organization – Harmful use of alcohol, Fact sheet N°349 February 2011 – Key facts

• “The harmful use of alcohol results in 2.5 million deaths each year.
• 320,000 young people between the age of 15 and 29 die from alcohol-related causes, resulting in 9% of all deaths in that age group.
• Alcohol is the world’s third largest risk factor for disease burden; it is the leading risk factor in the Western Pacific and the Americas and the second largest in Europe.
• Alcohol is associated with many serious social and developmental issues, including violence, child neglect and abuse, and absenteeism in the workplace”