Hello, colleagues
I thank and appreciate the discussion so far going on regarding this topic.
Below is my take:
Certainly, misuse or harmful use of alcohol can be destructive not only to health but also to the general social life of the drinker, as the community around the drinker gets involved or associated with increased consequences or risks of adverse health and social outcomes.
According to the World Health Organization, the harmful use of alcohol is one of the world’s leading risk factors for illness, disability, and death, and it is a primary cause of more than 200 diseases and injuries and globally results in approximately 3.3 million deaths each year, greater than HIV/AIDS, violence or tuberculosis.
Moreover, NCD Alliance reports that more than half of all alcohol-related deaths (1.7 million) are due to a noncommunicable disease (NCD). Besides, alcohol is one of the significant risk factors for a wide array of NCDs like cancer, digestive diseases, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and mental health disorders.
It has been reported that ethanol contained in alcohol is classified as one of the highest carcinogens by the International Organization for Research on Cancer. Besides, the most common cancers caused by alcohol are cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, breast, or colorectal cancer.
Additionally, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems are all partly due to the dangerous use of alcohol, alongside breast cancer, mouth, throat, esophagus, colon, and rectum, as alcohol weakens the immune system, increases the chances of getting sick, notwithstanding other problems such as learning and memory problems, including dementia and poor school performance.
All said alcohol intake should be substantially controlled, for its effects are short and long-term in nature.
Regards,
James
HIFA profile: James Mawanda is accredited with the European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction (EFDRR), and UN Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2022) and a Member of the UNDRR Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism. James is an Associate Partner, at the Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change and Health (ICCH), University of Hamburg, Germany. Member, Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education, Columbia University. A member of the Global Health Hub, Germany. Also, a Mentor, International Network for Government Science Advice, Africa Chapter (INGSA-Africa), South Africa, and Mentor, Land Accelerator Africa by World Resources Institute (WRI), A Research Associate, Uganda Red Cross Society. James is a member of the Research4life User Group. He is also a Country Expert (Uganda & Rwanda) for Varieties of Democracy (V-DEM), University of Gothenburg, Sweden, since 2020. An Executive Director of African Forum for International Relations in Research and Development (AFIRRD). A member of the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) & United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). James holds a Ph.D. in Diplomacy & International Affairs. James’ research interests span; International Organizations (IOs), particularly their conceptual prescriptions to the developing world; non-government organizations (NGOs) and their socio-political work in the developing world; and global climate policy and health dynamics, diplomacy and negotiations. He is an International Research and Project Assistant, EUCLID University, An Editorial Board Member, International Peer-Reviewed Journals and Books (IPRJB), USA. He is a reviewer at Global Council for Science and the Environment (GCSE), Washington DC; and VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Non-profit Organizations. Uganda’s “ambassador” on The Council on Educational Standards and Accountability in Africa; Member, Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development Phase II (PAEPARD II); Human Development & Capability Association (HDCA)- HDCA Southern African Network; Member, Africa Community of Practice (CoP) on Forgotten / Underutilized Food, by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA); Member, FAO’s Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum).
