Alcohol, tobacco account for greatest prevalence of addictions worldwide

A comprehensive report on global addiction and substance use disorders indicates tobacco and alcohol account for the greatest prevalence of addictions and cause the most harm.“Addictive behaviors impose a high economic burden on society through health care costs, public safety, crime, and lost productivity as well as other social costs,” study researcher Linda R. Gowing, PhD, of the University of Adelaide in Australia, and colleagues wrote in Addiction. “It is important to be able to have readily available, up-to-date prevalence and other estimates relating to these behaviors at global, regional and national levels to track progress towards reducing this burden, to help set policy priorities and to help evaluate policies.”