The WHO says alcohol abuse is the third leading cause of death and disability in the world and the harmful use of alcohol kills 2. 5 million people a year. So action is needed to reduce the problem.
The WHO released the "Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2011" on February 11,2011. The report shows young people are at risk. It says 320,000 people between the age of 15 and 29 die yearly from the causes related to alcohol. That is 9% of all deaths in that age group.
Shekhar Saxena is director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at the WHO. He says alcohol is responsible for one-third of the deaths among young people in some parts of the world.
Shekhar Saxena said, "Consumption and harmful effects of alcohol are increasing in developing countries, particularly in Africa and Asia,which have fewer powerful regulations and which have fewer health services available."
The WHO report finds that 6% of all male deaths worldwide are related to alcohol. This is true in only 1% of female deaths. The report says one in five men die from the causes related to alcohol in the 'Russian Federation and neighboring countries.
There are four main causes of death related to alcohol. Injury, from car accidents or violence, is one cause. Diseases like cirrhosis (肝硬化), cancer, heart and blood vessel diseases are the others. Alcohol abuse also leads to the development of 200 other diseases.
However, the majority of people in the world are not alcohol drinkers. The report says in 2005 , almost half of men and two-thirds of women did not drink alcohol at all.
Dr. Saxena says people who are dependent on alcohol live ten years less on average than those who do not have the problem.
The WHO has a plan to reduce the harmful use of alcohol, which includes raising taxes on alcohol,reducing the number of places to sell alcohol and increasing the drinking age. Officials say other measures include effective laws that punish drunk driving and banning some alcohol advertising.
Shekhar Saxena thinks increasing people suffer from drinking alcohol in developing countries because ______ .
A.they lack medical knowledge |
B.they lack effective regulations |
C.social customs encourage drinking |
D.no health care is available to drinkers |
The percentage of men dying from the causes related to alcohol
worldwide is ______ .
A.20% | B.9% | C.7% | D.6% |
Paragraph 6 talks mainly about.
A.the side effects of alcohol abuse |
B.reasons for high death rate in Russia |
C.common diseases related to alcohol abuse |
D.the main causes of death |
The underlined part in Paragraph 8 probably refers to ______ .
A.those who don't drink at all |
B.those who already quit drinking |
C.those who are not addicted to alcohol |
D.those who are free from health problems |