ABSTRACT
Worldwide, an estimated two billion people drink alcohol (in this chapter the more popular term “alcohol” is being used to address ethanol, the member of the family of alcohols used to produce alcoholic drinks). Alcoholic drinks include beers, wines and spirits, or liquors. Their consumption is culturally bound and consumption levels vary across and within countries and populations. Also, the proportion of abstainers varies considerably across countries and a common explanation for the uctuant rates of use and abstinence include availability, price, culture, and religion. Consumption levels in industrialized countries is on average four times higher than in nonindustrialized countries; levels tend to be highest in Europe, North America, and Australia (WHO, 2004).
