# Tobacco use and alcohol abuse kill nearly six million people a year.



## blujeenz (5/6/18)

According to WHO.
https://www.health24.com/Medical/Ad...-more-health-harm-than-illegal-drugs-20180605



> *It's smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol* – and not taking illegal drugs – that pose the greatest risks to people's health, a new international study contends.





> Worldwide, more than one in seven adults smoke tobacco, and one in five reports at least one occasion of heavy drinking in the past month, the review of 2015 data found





> In South Africa, 5% of women may be considered to be risky drinkers whereas 28% of men are considered risky drinkers. Risky drinkers are defined as “someone who has drunk five or more standard measurements of alcohol on a single occasion in the past 30 days”.
> 
> Those same areas also have the highest rates of tobacco smoking – Eastern Europe 24.2%, Central Europe 23.7%, and Western Europe almost 21%. According to Stats SA, 6% of women smoke tobacco daily, compared to 30% of men in South Africa.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Adephi (5/6/18)

Risky drinkers are defined as “someone who has drunk five or more standard measurements of alcohol on a single occasion in the past 30 days”.


I'm risky af!

Reactions: Funny 3 | Can relate 1


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## RichJB (5/6/18)

The problem is that drug deaths are skyrocketing, smoking deaths are staying stable or even decreasing in some countries. Every year since 2013, US overdose deaths from synthetic opioids have increased by 88% year on year. Since 2014, heroin overdose deaths have increased 19% year on year. Opioids now kill more Americans than breast cancer, guns or road accidents. The total rate won't be as high as smoking or drinking. But the per capita rate is horrific.

Interestingly, the forum wouldn't let me submit my first draft of this post. I listed the two main synthetic opioids that are causing the OD deaths and one of them is a banned word.

Reactions: Like 1


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## aktorsyl (6/6/18)

blujeenz said:


> According to WHO.
> https://www.health24.com/Medical/Ad...-more-health-harm-than-illegal-drugs-20180605


That's such a weird comparison though. The number of people who smoke&drink vs the number of people in the world who are on drugs... that's not even remotely the same thing.
It's like saying "more people die in car accidents than in boating accidents". Yes well, no shit.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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