Overview

This fact sheet provides a brief overview of the current status of the alcohol-attributable burden of disease in the WHO European Region and of the changes in alcohol consumption between 2010 and 2016. It also highlights the state of implementation of the five high-impact strategies of the WHO-led SAFER initiative in 2016 and 2019. The five letters of the SAFER intiative stand for:

• Strengthen restrictions on alcohol availability;
• Advance and enforce drink–driving countermeasures;
• Facilitate access to screening, brief interventions and treatment;
• Enforce bans or comprehensive restrictions on alcohol advertising, sponsorship and promotion; and
• Raise prices on alcohol through excise taxes and pricing policies.