Alcohol is one of the world’s top priority public health areas and one of the main risk factors for non-communicable diseases. Even though only half the world's population drinks alcohol, it is the world's fifth leading cause of ill health and premature death. In western Europe it is the sixth leading risk factor and in eastern Europe it is the number one risk factor. The WHO European region remains the area of the world with the highest levels of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm. From 2008 to 2010, the European average for recorded alcohol consumption for adults (≥ 15 years) was 10.9 L of pure alcohol. Although this represents a 10 per cent decline from 2003-2005, in some areas of Europe, consumption is increasing. Most alcohol is drunk in heavy drinking occasions, which worsens all risks. In particular, heavy drinking sessions are a cause of all types of intentional and unintentional injuries, and of ischaemic heart disease, cancers and sudden death. Alcohol harms people other than the drinker, whether through violence on the street, domestic violence in the family, or simply using up government resources, notably through the costs of providing healthcare and dealing with crime and disorder.

The real absolute risk of dying from an adverse alcohol related condition increases with the total amount of alcohol consumed over a lifetime. For many conditions, including alcohol-related cancers, the risk is increased at even low levels of consumption, and, according to the international agency on research on cancer, there is no threshold for the effect of alcohol - the risk starts from any level of consumption above zero. Taking into account a life-course view, exposure to alcohol during pregnancy can impair the brain development of the foetus and is associated with intellectual deficits that become apparent later in childhood. The adolescent brain is particularly susceptible to alcohol and the longer the onset of consumption is delayed, the less likely it is that problems and alcohol dependence will emerge in adult life. Alcohol is also an intoxicant affecting a wide range of structures and processes in the central nervous system which - interacting with personality characteristics, associated behaviour and sociocultural expectations - are causal factors for intentional and unintentional injuries, harm to people other than the drinker and drink-driving fatalities....