Revealing the unethical business methods of the alcohol industry
Disease
Alcohol is a causal factor in more than 200 disease and injury conditions most notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers and injuries. Source
There is a causal relationship between alcohol use and a range of mental and behavioral disorders, other NCDs such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease as well as injuries. Source
Alcohol causes 7 types of cancer, including breast, mouth and bowel cancers. Source
Alcohol use contributes to a substantial amount of the global burden of NCDs. 25 chronic diseases and conditions are entirely attributable to alcohol. Source
Alcohol use is related to more than 274 million years of healthy life lost (DALYs) in the Americas alone, in 2012. Source
In Cambodia, 83% of beer seller (so called "beer girls") are subjected to unwanted sexual contact. Source
Inequality
More than 10% of U.S. children live with a parent that has alcohol problems, according to a 2012 study. Source
Alcohol harm results in a significant health, social and economic burden on society at large. Source
Alcohol increases the occurrence and severity of Intimate Partner Violence. The economic costs of IPV include health care and judicial systems costs as well as lost earnings. Source
Estimated costs of IPV (USA): US$12.6 billion a year. Perpetrators have been estimated to consume alcohol in 55% of cases. Source
Up to 80% of gender-based violence can be alcohol-related. Source
Alcohol is the leading risk factor for death and disability among people aged 15 to 49 years worldwide - the period when people are most productive economically. Source
The economic burden of alcohol worldwide is substantial, accounting for up to 5.44% of Growth Domestic Product in some countries. Source
Death
Globally, alcohol causes approximately 3.3 million deaths every year. That means: every 10 seconds a human being dies due to alcohol. Source
Alcohol consumption causes death and disability relatively early in life. In the age group 20-39 years, about 25% of total deaths are due to alcohol. Source
Globally, alcohol consumption is the fifth leading risk factor for premature death and disability; among people between the ages of 15 and 49, it is the first. Source
Alcohol is the fifth leading health risk factor globally and risk factor number one in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Source
In Europe: Alcohol is the leading risk factor for ill-health and premature death for the core of the working age population (25 to 59 years of age). Source
Alcohol is responsible for 1 in 7 male deaths and 1 in 13 female deaths in the age group of 15 to 64 years, resulting in ca. 120 000 premature deaths in Europe. Source
Targeting children
Primary school children in England and Scotland are more familiar with beer brands than biscuits. Source
Alcohol marketing increases the likelihood that kids and youth will start to use alcohol, and that they will consume more if they're already using alcohol. Source
From 2001 to 2009, youth exposure to alcohol advertising on TV in the USA increased by 71%. Source
Youth who saw more alcohol ads consumed more alcohol on average, each additional ad seen increasing the number of drinks consumed by 1%. Source
Youth who saw more alcohol ads consumed more alcohol on average. Youth in markets with more alcohol advertisements showed increased consumption levels into their late 20s. Source
Exposure to brand-specific alcohol ads is a significant predictor of underage alcohol consumption, with youth ages 13 to 20 more than 5 times more likely to consume brands that advertise on national TV. Source
Every day in the US, 4,750 young people under 16 years consume their first full drink of alcohol. The earlier kids start using alcohol, the more likely they are to suffer alcohol-related health and social problems later in life. Source
Compared to kids who wait until they're 21 to start using alcohol, youth who begin alcohol use before age 15 are 4 times more likely to become alcohol dependent. Source
Compared to kids who wait until they're 21, youth who begin alcohol use before age 15 are 7 times more likely to be in an alcohol-related motor vehicle crash. Source
Compared to kids who wait until they're 21, youth who begin alcohol use before age 15 are 11 times more likely to be in a physical fight after alcohol use. Source
Unethical business
Children who love to watch sports on TV are more exposed to alcohol ads than peers who watch non-sport TV. In Australia, 87% of all alcohol ads during daytime were in sports TV when hundreds of thousands of kids were watching. Source
Teens who own merchandise displaying alcohol logos are more likely to start using alcohol. Source
Big Alcohol pays loads of money for advertising. It pays off. In the US alone (2003) they spent $540.8 million to advertise during sports programs on TV. Source
Greater exposure to alcohol ads contributes to an increase in alcohol use in kids. For each additional ad a young person saw, they consumed 1% more. Source
Exposure to alcohol ads has impact: For each additional dollar per capita spent on alcohol advertising, young people consumed 3% more. Source
Half of children associate their favourite football teams and tournaments with the beer brands they are sponsored by, with 1 in 2 children associating Carlsberg beer with the English national football team. Source
USA: Underage alcohol use accounted for at least 16% of all alcohol sales in 2001, leading to 3,170 deaths and 2.6 million other harmful events in that year alone. Source
Almost 25% of alcohol ads airing on youth popular TV had local underage audiences bigger than 30%, exceeding Big Alcohol's voluntary self-regulatory codes. Source
The complete elimination of alcohol advertising could reduce monthly alcohol use by adolescents 4%, and binge use 5%. Source