This document summarizes alcohol consumption trends and alcohol-attributable mortality in the European Union in 2010. It finds that while overall recorded alcohol consumption has decreased in the EU over the past 20 years, meeting the goal of a 10% reduction, consumption levels and trends vary significantly between different regions. Central-East and Eastern Europe generally have higher consumption levels and less decline compared to other regions like Western Europe and the Nordics. Liver cirrhosis, cancer, and injuries from alcohol account for around 90% of alcohol-attributable deaths. The conclusions note that alcohol harm remains high in Europe and reductions could still be made.

1. Alcohol in the European Union –
consumption and attributable mortality
J. Rehm (jtrehm@gmail.com)
TU Dresden, Germany
CAMH Toronto

2. Part of continuous
monitoring
Alcohol globally is one
of the most important
risk factors.
The global strategy
and the European
action plan to reduce
the harmful use of
alcohol 2012–2020
both ask for regular
updates on alcohol-
attributable disease.

3. Status Report on Alcohol and Health
2013
• Co-sponsored by the European Commission and
Finnish Ministry of Health
• Using information collected in 2012
• Include EU Member States +
Croatia, Norway, Switzerland (CNAPA Members) and
EU applicant countries (Iceland, FYR
Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey)
• No country profiles but will be attached to the Global
Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2013/14

4. Status Report on Alcohol and Health
2013
Three parts:
1. Trends in alcohol consumption and
alcohol-attributable mortality in the
European Union in 2010
2. Alcohol policy update
3. Country timelines

5. Alcohol consumption
Volume Patterns Quality
Health outcomes
Incidence
chronic
conditions
including AUDs
Incidence
acute
conditions
Mortality by
cause
Societal Factors
Drinking culture
Alcohol Policy
Drinking
environment
Health care
system
Population
group
Gender
Age
Poverty
Marginalization
(individual)
Currently used model for alcohol
comparative risk assessment 2010

6. Trends in recorded consumption
in the EU
• Overall trends for EU or EU plus
Croatia, Norway and Switzerland are down for
the past 20 years.
• Actually, the EU would fulfill the NCD criteria
of – 10% for NCDs.
• However, this is not true for all countries, nor
for all regions

7. Regional categorisation
Countries within each European region
Central West and Western Europe:
Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlan
ds, Switzerland and the United Kingdom
Central-East and Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slov
akia and Slovenia
Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden
Southern Europe: Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain

8. EU.plus.Switzerland.Norway.and.Croatia
9
10
11
12
0 5 10 15 20
Year_RC
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
Year
Recordedadultpercapitaconsumptionofalcohol
(litresofpurealcohol)
European Union &
Switzerland, Norway and Croatia

9. Regional categorization

10. But differences in regions with respect
to levels and trends
Level Trend
Unrecorded
In l pure pc
Patterns
Score lower
=better
West-
Central West
Very high
1.0 1.5
East-
Central East
Very high
2.5 2.9
Nordic
countries
Lowest
within EU 1.9 2.8
South high 2.0 1.1
EU plus
N, Croatia, CH high 1.6 1.9

11. And some country differences
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
14.0
16.0
18.0
20.0
Italy
Germany
Spain
UK
Poland

12. ALCOHOL-ATTRIBUTABLE HEALTH
HARM
Cancer, liver cirrhosis and injury cover 90% of all net alcohol-attributable
deaths

13. Alcohol-attributable liver cirrhosis, cancer and
injury deaths

14. Differences in alcohol-attributable
SDR, 2010

15. Alcohol-attributable liver cirrhosis deaths

16. Alcohol-attributable injury deaths

17. Conclusions
• Divergent trends in alcohol consumption in
Europe: some good signs, and some bad signs
• Overall Europe is still the region with the highest
alcohol consumption in the world (Eastern
Europe higher than EU).
• So overall, harm is still high (more than every
10th death before age 65 is due to alcohol!) and
can and should be reduced.
• Harm is not restricted to health or to the drinker