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The average for women is an astounding 11 liters, according to a study by the World Health Organization which also found that 93% drink hard liquor like whisky, rum or vodka - while 7% drink beer. The wine drinking population is negligible yet with less than 1% enjoying the drink that has been suggested to be good for health when drunk in moderation.
Though 60% of Indian men and 90% females abstain from alcohol, drinking is on the increase over the last few years. WHO found that 32% of men and fewer than 11% of women in India over the age of 15 years drink alcohol. On average every person in the world aged 15 years or older drinks 6.2 liters of pure alcohol per year. But as less than half the population (38.3%) actually drinks alcohol it means that drinkers consume on average 17 litres of pure alcohol annually according to TOI
The report also points out that a higher percentage of deaths occur due to alcohol among men (7.6%) than women (4%) even though there is evidence that women may be more vulnerable to some alcohol-related health conditions compared to men. Alcohol even in wine is dangerous to women for cancer for higher quantities consumed.
"We found that worldwide about 16% of drinkers engage in heavy episodic drinking - often referred to as 'binge-drinking' - which is the most harmful to health," said Dr Shekhar Saxena, director for mental health and substance abuse at WHO. "Lower-income groups are more affected by the social and health consequences of alcohol. They often lack quality health care and are less protected by functional family or community networks," he added. Globally, 3.3 million people die every year due to harmful use of alcohol, representing 5.9 % of all deaths. In the age group 20 - 39 years approximately 25 % of the total deaths are alcohol-attributable.
Globally, Europe has the highest consumption of alcohol per capita with some of its countries having particularly high consumption rates.
The study found that alcohol consumption can not only lead to dependence but also increases people's risk of developing more than 200 diseases including liver cirrhosis and some cancers.
delWine recommends everyone to reduce the liquor intake and substitute with wine in moderation preferably with meals -editor |