Alcohol misuse was the seventh-leading risk factor for premature death and disability globally in 2016; among people between the ages of 15 and 29, it was the number one risk factor with an estimated one in 10 deaths being linked to alcohol consumption.

The authors of this study conducted their research from 1990 to 2016 studying 195 different countries. It is “the most comprehensive estimate of the global burden of alcohol use to date.” With the authors concluding that there is no level of alcohol where the health benefits outweigh the adverse effects and that “alcohol control policies might be need to be revised worldwide.”

Many were shocked to hear the results of this research, especially with numerous studies over the past forty years concluding that moderate alcohol consumption is healthy and could potentially be preventative against heart disease. The Lancet didn’t dispute the heart disease prevention claim, but states that the overall negative effects of any alcohol consumption outweigh any positive effects.

Some argue that “alcohol-related” is a loose phrase that may be connected to accidents or events that are not necessarily directly caused by alcohol consumption. While others are cutting down on alcohol use to avoid the potential negative effects to their health and the shocking statistics printed in this latest study.

Whatever your stance might be on social drinking, it is always a good idea to keep an alcohol and drug free workplace. Despite safety protocols being in place, 40% of all industrial workplace fatalities are caused by employees working under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Good drug testing and education programs have been proven to provide benefits such as:

• Increased morale
• Decreased workplace accidents
• Reduced employee theft
• Increased productivity
• Reduced employee turnover
• Decreased cost of insurance (i.e. worker’s compensation)

If you’re interested in drug and alcohol training for your workplace managers/supervisors or in setting up drug and alcohol testing in your workplace feel free to reach out to us by email (mail@blueline-services.com) or phone (888-919-3278) and we’ll figure out how to best protect your company and employees!

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