Global statistics on addictive behaviours: 2014 status report

Abstract

Conflict of interest declaration: RW undertakes research and consultancy for companies that develop and manufacture smoking cessation medicines. AbstractBackground and aims: Addictive behaviours are among the greatest scourges on humankind. It is important to estimate the extent of the problem globally and in different geographical regions. Such estimates are available but there is a need to collate and evaluate these to arrive at the best available synthetic figures. Addiction has commissioned this paper as the first of a series attempting to do this.Methods: Online sources of global, regional and national information on prevalence and major harms relating to alcohol use, tobacco use, unsanctioned psychoactive drug use and gambling were identified through expert review and assessed. The primary data sources located were the websites of the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Alberta Gambling Research Institute. Summary statistics were compared with recent publications on the global epidemiology of addictive behaviours.Results: An estimated 4.9% of the world's adult population (240 million people) suffer from alcohol use disorder (7.8% of men and 1.5% of women) with alcohol causing an estimated 257 disability adjusted life years lost per 100,000 population. An estimated 22.5% of adults in the world (one billion people) smoke tobacco products (32.0% of men and 7.0% of women). It is estimated that 11% of deaths in males and 6% of deaths in females each year are due to tobacco. Of 'unsanctioned psychoactive drugs', cannabis is the most prevalent at 3.5% globally with each of the others at <1%; 0.3% of the world's adult population (15 million people) inject drugs. Use of unsanctioned psychoactive drugs accounts for an estimated 83 disability adjusted life years lost per 100,000 population. Global estimates of problem gambling are not possible but in countries where it has been assessed the prevalence is estimated at 1.5%. 2Conclusions: Tobacco and alcohol use are by far the most prevalent addictive behaviours and cause the large majority of the harm. However, the quality of data on prevalence and addiction-related harms is mostly low and comparisons between countries and regions must be viewed with caution. There is an urgent need to review the quality of data on which global estimates are made and co-ordinate efforts to arrive at a more consistent approach.

The drug situation in Europe: an overview of data available on illicit drugs and new psychoactive substances from European monitoring in 2015

“…More broadly, we note that the number of international bodies collecting information on aspects of drug use has prompted calls for more system wide coherence. We would therefore concur with the conclusions of Gowing et al [21] that there is an 'urgent need to review the quality of data on which global estimates are made and coordinate efforts to arrive at a more consistent approach' (p. 918). We would argue that the European experience highlights not only the challenges that this entails but also the considerable potential over the longer term to provide a more robust understanding of an increasingly global, dynamic and complex drug situation.…”

“…The European data therefore contain many of the elements found in other national and international reporting systems. A review of global addiction data sources with comments on their relative strengths and weakness is provided by Gowing et al [21]. It is worth noting, in particular, that the reporting mechanism supporting the United Nations (UN) drug conventions (Annual Report Questionnaire) covers the main information domains for both demand and supply data included in the European data set.…”

The Prevalence of Alcohol Consumption and Common Influencing Factors to Start Alcohol Consumption in Early Age: Health Fair Study in Dominica

“…Studies have shown that alcohol use is related detrimentally too many cardiovascular problems, including hypertension, hemorrhagic stroke and atrial fibrillation [22]. Consumption of alcohol has also been implicated in other conditions like cancers, fetal alcohol syndrome and diabetes mellitus [23].…”

Cannabis matters? Treatment responses to increasing cannabis presentations in addiction services in England

“…These individuals are often younger and are more likely to be working and in stable housing. We need to ensure that provision for these individuals is tailored and responsive (HM Government, 2010:6) There has been growing interest in the demographic changes in drug use, and the potential impact this will have on successful treatment outcomes (Badrakalimuthu et al 2010, Gowing et al 2015. The Royal College of Psychiatrists (2011) recently examined this issue making a number of recommendations including the need for the 'examination of trends in the extent, nature and predictors of substance use problems in older people'.…”