ISTANBUL

Alcohol is responsible for one in three deaths from injury and violence in the WHO European Region, posing a major threat to public health, particularly during holiday periods when consumption typically rises, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

According to a new factsheet by WHO/Europe based on 2019 data, nearly 145,000 injury-related deaths in the region were attributable to alcohol, including self-harm, road traffic injuries, and falls.

“No other psychoactive substance contributes so heavily to both unintentional and intentional injuries,” the agency said, warning that alcohol remains a particularly dangerous risk factor for young people.

WHO/Europe said the region has the highest alcohol consumption levels globally, with alcohol use causing an estimated 800,000 deaths each year, around one in every 11 deaths.

“Alcohol is a toxic substance that impairs judgment, slows reaction times and promotes risk-taking behavior,” said Carina Ferreira-Borges, WHO/Europe’s regional adviser for alcohol, illicit drugs and prison health, adding that many alcohol-related injuries are preventable.

The report stressed a strong link between alcohol and violence, saying more than 40% of interpersonal violence deaths and over one-third of self-harm deaths in 2019 were alcohol-attributable.

Women and children are disproportionately affected, particularly through intimate partner violence.

Alcohol also poses a serious threat to adolescents and young adults, WHO said, citing heavy episodic drinking as a key factor behind road injuries, drowning, falls, and self-harm among younger age groups.

Despite progress in recent decades, sharp inequalities persist across Europe, the report noted.

Eastern European countries see the highest alcohol-related injury death rates, with alcohol linked to more than half of all injury deaths in some countries, compared with less than 20% in many Western and Southern states.

WHO also urged governments to strengthen alcohol control policies, including higher taxes, stricter marketing bans, tougher drink-driving enforcement, and early screening in health care settings, saying such measures could prevent tens of thousands of premature deaths each year.