Based on the statistics recently released by the World Health Organization in its Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health (2011), you bet it does!
The global report presents a comprehensive perspective on the global, regional and country consumption of alcohol, patterns of drinking, health consequences and policy responses in Member States. The report was launched earlier this year during the first meeting of the WHO global counterparts for implementation of the global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol.
According to the report, harmful use of alcohol has many staggering implications on public health:
- The harmful use of alcohol results in 2.5 million deaths each year
- Nearly 4% of all deaths are related to alcohol. Most alcohol-related deaths are caused by alcohol result from injuries, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and liver cirrhosis
- Globally, 6.2% of all male deaths and 1.1% of all female deaths are related to alcohol
- Globally, 320,000 young people aged 15-29 years die annually from alcohol-related causes, resulting in 9% of all deaths in that age group
- Worldwide consumption in 2005 was equal to 6.13 liters of pure alcohol consumed per person aged 15 years or older (pure alcohol, not alcoholic beverages)
- Europeans drink more than the inhabitants of any other continent. In 2005, they consumed 12.18 pure liters of alcohol per capita. Ireland is the world’s drunkest country, consuming a staggering 14.1 pure liters of alcohol per capita
Clearly, the alcohol issue is just not a US issue; it’s a global issue! And it comes in all shapes and size. Drink Driving. Public Order. Domestic Assault. Countries like the United Kingdom, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, and others in between have begun to work with US-based agencies to learn more about promising programs and alcohol-monitoring technologies designed to deal with the “crime and carnage” associated with irresponsible alcohol consumption.
While the international community is quickly gaining speed in the pursuit of programs and tools that can help, the United States continues to search for new ways to improve upon existing outcomes. For instance, in 2012, The Century Council, a leader in the fight against drunk driving and underage drinking and promotes responsible decision making regarding beverage alcohol, will launch a comprehensive online resource to assist criminal justice stakeholders in dealing with drunk drivers.
The Promising Criminal Justice Programs for DWI Offenders (aka Drink Drivers) resource will be a valuable tool for community agencies, practitioners, grant seekers and other interested community members seeking easy access to promising programs, practices, and protocols. As defined by The Century Council, a promising program leads to behavior modification among offenders, improves outcomes in the criminal justice system, is simple, easy to explain, understand, implement and replicate – and should be cost-effective and have measurable, objective outcomes and results. The Century Council is on the right track because this online tool will be invaluable to communities (and countries) struggling to improve or establish practices.
While there is still a long way to go in this country when it comes to drastically reducing alcohol-fueled crime, the international community is just starting its attack on this serious issue. The sharing of ideas and the development of sustainable programs is a solid start!
