Excessive Alcohol Consumption: Harmful Habits and Health Risks

2024-03-01 20:15:00
Among the habits that are harmful to health is excessive alcohol consumption. (Infobae composition: aristeguinoticias.com/Difusion)

“All excess hurts”. This statement, commonly expressed among family members, reflects a concern regarding the consumption habits of a household member. The intention behind this message is to raise awareness regarding the negative consequences that excessive consumer behavior can have.

Among the habits that are harmful to health is excessive alcohol consumption. This chemical compound, present in drinks such as beer, wine, liqueurs and distillates, can have adverse effects on both physical and mental health. Ingesting it in large quantities will impact physical and mental health. In that sense, it is pertinent to mention what the World Health Organization (WHO) said on this topic in question.

“Harmful use of alcohol is a causal factor in more than 200 diseases and disorders. (…) There is a causal relationship between the harmful consumption of alcohol and a series of mental and behavioral disorders, in addition to non-communicable diseases and trauma,” reads the WHO web portal.

FILE PHOTO: The logo of the World Health Organization (WHO) is seen near its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, February 2, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File

Regarding mental disorders caused by excessive alcohol consumption, the Peruvian Ministry of Health (Minsa) has published a report on the cases treated in different hospitals and health posts in the country. According to this report, between January and October 2023, 39,488 people were assisted, a figure that exceeds that registered in the previous year, which was 34,716.

Of the individuals treated in health facilities, 20,010 adults, 10,748 young people and 5,300 adolescents are included. In addition, it was reported that 76% of the cases corresponded to men and 24% to women. The regions with the highest number of cases treated were Cusco, Arequipa, La Libertad, Junín and Piura.

With this data, various questions can be raised. However, there is one that is especially relevant in relation to alcohol consumption in Peru: Is Peru the country in Latin America that consumes the most alcohol in the year? To answer this question, it is necessary to consult the data provided by a specialized entity of the United Nations (UN).

Alcoholic drinks, harmful to health. (Illustrative Image Infobae)

Consulting reliable sources such as the World Health Organization and based on cases of mental disorders reported by the Ministry of Health, it can be concluded that excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to physical and mental health. However, specialists at the Mayo Clinic point out that moderate intake might offer health benefits, such as possibly reducing the risk of ischemic stroke and diabetes.

Faced with this scenario, a growing trend has been observed in people from various parts of the world to reduce their alcohol consumption. This is reflected in statistics provided by the World Health Organization for the years 2014 and 2019, which offer an overview of per capita alcohol consumption in selected Latin American countries.

For the year 2019, Argentina led the list with a per capita consumption of 8 liters of pure alcohol, showing a decrease compared to the data recorded by the WHO in 2014. After knowing this data, questions arise such as how many percentage points decreased the ‘ ‘gaucho country’? Where is Peru? Below, we will clarify these doubts.

• Argentina: 8 liters
• Brazil: 7.7 liters
• Peru: 7.5 liters
• Chili: 6.7 liters
• Tank: 6.0 liters
• Mexico: 5.7 liters
• Uruguay: 5.5 liters
• Colombia: 4.9 liters
• Honduras: 3.2 liters
• Venezuela: 3.0 liters
• Guatemala: 1.6 liters.

WHO data on annual consumption of pure alcohol. (statista)

• Chile: 9.6 liters
• Argentina: 9.3 liters
• Venezuela: 8.9 liters
• Paraguay: 8.8 liters
• Brazil: 8.7
• Peru: 8.1
• Panama: 8
• Uruguay: 7,6
• Ecuador: 7,2
• Mexico: 7.2
• Dominican Republic: 6.9.

These data show that alcohol consumption has decreased in most Latin American countries, which is positive for developing nations. It is important to note that Argentina experienced a decrease in its consumption by 1.3 percentage points, while Peru saw a decrease of 0.6.

Finally, it is important to emphasize that alcohol consumption is not only harmful to health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated that the consumption of alcoholic beverages “brings significant social and economic losses to individuals and society in general.” It is expected that in the next reports the annual consumption rate of pure alcohol will once more decrease, which will contribute to the well-being of many people.

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