ABSTRACT
Suicide is one of the leading external causes of death in many countries and its burden is expected to rise over the next several decades. Although a suicidal act is a multi-causal behavior as a result of an interaction of biological, psychological and socioeconomic factors, alcohol abuse constitutes one of the most important risk factors. Alcohol consumption and suicide rates are considerably higher in the Eastern Europe (EE) countries than in the countries of Western Europe (WE). Accumulated evidence suggests that the mixture of cultural acceptance of heavy drinking, the high rate of distilled spirits consumption, and binge drinking pattern is a major contributor to the suicide mortality burden in EE. It is generally accepted now that both acute and chronic alcohol use are among the major behaviorally modifiable factors that are associated with suicidal behavior. The empirical literature provides evidence of an association between alcohol and suicide at the individual level in many EE nations.
