Alcohol: its impact on wellbeing, morbidity and mortality

Abstract Alcohol is one of the most widely used drugs around the world, with many adverse health consequences well known to healthcare providers. This chapter provides an overview of the metabolism of alcohol and its short- and long-term effects. The socioeconomic factors impacting alcohol use are explored and consideration is given to variations in global consumption. Alcohol is a risk factor for many negative health behaviours and diseases, including violence, injury, sexually transmitted infections, cancer, cardiovascular disease and gastrointestinal pathology. There is a threshold of alcohol consumption above which the level consumed is linearly associated with adverse health outcomes. Guidelines regarding the safe level of intake vary around the world.