īecause of the importance of alcohol abuse/addiction in public health and its association with a wide spectrum of medical, social and psychological problems, early detection at the onset of abuse is very important. This type of consumption (binge drinking) is very common in young adults (18 to 24 years old), with male predominance (1:5). There is also evidence showing that alcohol consumption is very common in Greece, since 1 in 4 adults drinks often (at least 10 times in the last month) and that excessive alcohol consumption (5 or more drinks at every session during the last month) happens 1 time in 10. In Greece, epidemiology of alcohol use has shown changes from the traditional way of drinking alcohol and according to a 2004 study, the average consumption is 11.39 litres per capita this gives Greece 10th position amongst the 26 European countries, with the index of harmful use being 2. Overall, in Europe alcohol abuse and addiction is held responsible for 1.8 million deaths (that is, 3.2% of the total causes of mortality) and 58.3 million (4%) of the total of life years in incapacity. The financial cost of alcohol addiction at the level of health loss, social and financial burden is so big that alcohol addiction has become a public health priority. Alcohol addiction incidence varies from 1% to 5% according to WHO for developed and developing countries (including Greece). In the US alone, 8 million individuals aged 18 or more fulfil Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria for alcohol addiction. Problems associated with alcohol abuse are recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a major health issue, which according to most recent estimations is responsible for 1.4% of the total world burden of morbidity.
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