Opiates aren’t the only drug threatening global safety. Alcohol and tobacco still pose the biggest health threats worldwide, according to a new review published in the journal Addiction.
The report, which includes data from the World Health Organization, found that one in seven adults globally used tobacco in the 30 days the study covered. Furthermore, one in five adults binged on alcohol during the study period.
In Europe, for example, 23 percent of adults use tobacco, and 46 percent of alcohol-consuming adults are considered heavy drinkers. Comparatively, only one in 20 Europeans uses marijuana, and even fewer use opioids, cocaine and amphetamines.
While illegal drugs are a bigger in the US than in some other countries — specifically, we use marijuana, opioids and cocaine at higher rates — the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of the death among Americans. Tobacco, they say, is the first.
And cigarettes and booze are no joke: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains that tobacco can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke by two to four times and lung cancer by more than 25 times, while also putting you at greater risk for several other forms of cancer.
Alcohol abuse can also raise your risk for heart disease and strokes, as well as liver disease, high blood pressure and cancer.
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