Alcohol and tobacco biggest threat to lifespan of all addictive drugs

A new review, co-authored by Professor Robert West (UCL Behavioural Science and Health), has compiled the most up-to-date source of information on the burden of death and disease caused by alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use. Published in the online journal Addiction, the review shows that in 2015 the combined cost of alcohol and tobacco use to the global population was more than a quarter of a billion disability-adjusted life years, with illicit drugs costing a further tens of millions. The largest health burden from substance use was attributable to tobacco smoking and the smallest was to the use of illicit drugs. Global estimates suggest that nearly one in seven adults (15.2%) smoke tobacco and one in five adults report at least one occasion of heavy alcohol use in the past month. Professor West said: "This report is a stark reminder that Western governments are failing badly in their duty of care to their citizens, particularly with regard to tobacco and alcohol. "We should be under no illusion that what we are seeing here is corporate profit taking precedence over health well-being. This may well need to become an election issue for governments to take the action needed." Compared with the rest of the world, Central, Eastern, and Western Europe recorded consistently higher alcohol consumption per person (11.61, 11.98 and 11.09 litres, respectively) and a higher percentage of heavy consumption amongst drinkers (50.5%, 48.2%, and 40.2%, respectively).