Alcoholic beverage

European countries grouped by preferred type of alcoholic drink, based on recorded alcohol consumption per capita (age 15+) (in liters of pure alcohol) in 2016
Map of Europe with individual countries grouped by preferred type of alcoholic drink, based on recorded alcohol consumption per capita (age 15+) (in liters of pure alcohol) in 2016.[1]
  Wine
  Beer
  Spirits

An alcoholic beverage (also called an adult beverage, alcoholic drink, strong drink, or simply a drink) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar.[2] The consumption of alcoholic drinks, often referred to as "drinking", plays an important social role in many cultures. Alcoholic drinks are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and spirits—and typically their alcohol content is between 3% and 50%.

A selection of alcoholic drinks: red wine, malt whisky, lager, sparkling wine, lager, cherry liqueur and red wine

Most countries have laws regulating the production, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages,[3] and the temperance movement advocates against the consumption of alcoholic beverages.[4] Regulations may require the labeling of the percentage alcohol content (as ABV or proof) and the use of a warning label. Some countries ban the consumption of alcoholic drinks, but they are legal in most parts of the world. The global alcoholic drink industry exceeded $1.5 trillion in 2017.[5]

A liquor store in the United States. Global sales of alcoholic drinks exceeded $1.5 trillion in 2017.[5]

Alcohol is one of the most widely used recreational drugs in the world, and about 33% of all humans currently drink alcohol.[6] In 2015, among Americans, 86% of adults had consumed alcohol at some point, with 70% drinking it in the last year and 56% in the last month.[7] Several other animals are affected by alcohol similarly to humans and, once they consume it, will consume it again if given the opportunity, though humans are the only species known to produce alcoholic drinks intentionally.[8]

Alcohol is a depressant, which in low doses causes euphoria, reduces anxiety, and increases sociability. In higher doses, it causes drunkenness, stupor, unconsciousness, or death. Long-term use can lead to an alcohol use disorder, an increased risk of developing several types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and physical dependence. According to the World Health Organization, alcohol is in the highest risk-group carcinogen, and no quantity of its consumption can be considered safe.[9]

  1. ^ "Global status report on alcohol and health 2018". www.who.int.
  2. ^ Cook, Christopher C. H. (4 May 2006). Alcohol, Addiction and Christian Ethics. Cambridge University Press. p. 95. ISBN 978-1-139-45497-1. 'Drunkenness', at least in popular usage, he considered to be equivalent to 'intoxication'. Intoxication in turn, again according to popular usage, was understood as referring to 'the aggravated symptoms of alcoholic poisoning'. While recognising that intemperance was, in fact, 'indicative of sensual indulgence in general', he stated that in 'popular usage' it had gradually become narrowed in meaning to 'indulgence of the appetite for Strong Drink' or 'indulgence in some alcoholic drink'.
  3. ^ "Minimum Legal Age Limits". IARD.org. International Alliance for Responsible Drinking. Archived from the original on 4 May 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  4. ^ Henry, Yeomans (18 June 2014). Alcohol and Moral Regulation: Public Attitudes, Spirited Measures and Victorian Hangovers. Policy Press. p. 244. ISBN 978-1-4473-0994-9.
  5. ^ a b Jernigan, D; Ross, CS (March 2020). "The Alcohol Marketing Landscape: Alcohol Industry Size, Structure, Strategies, and Public Health Responses". Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Supplement. Sup 19 (Suppl 19): 13–25. doi:10.15288/jsads.2020.s19.13. PMC 7064002. PMID 32079559.
  6. ^ Griswold, Max G.; Fullman, Nancy; Hawley, Caitlin; Arian, Nicholas; Zimsen, Stephanie R M.; Tymeson, Hayley D.; Venkateswaran, Vidhya; Tapp, Austin Douglas; Forouzanfar, Mohammad H.; Salama, Joseph S.; Abate, Kalkidan Hassen; Abate, Degu; Abay, Solomon M.; Abbafati, Cristiana; Abdulkader, Rizwan Suliankatchi; Abebe, Zegeye; Aboyans, Victor; Abrar, Mohammed Mehdi; Acharya, Pawan; Adetokunboh, Olatunji O.; Adhikari, Tara Ballav; Adsuar, Jose C.; Afarideh, Mohsen; Agardh, Emilie Elisabet; Agarwal, Gina; Aghayan, Sargis Aghasi; Agrawal, Sutapa; Ahmed, Muktar Beshir; Akibu, Mohammed; et al. (August 2018). "Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016". The Lancet. 392 (10152): 1015–35. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31310-2. PMC 6148333. PMID 30146330.
  7. ^ "Alcohol Facts and Statistics". National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. National Institute of Health. August 2018. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  8. ^ Zielinski, Sarah (16 September 2011). "The Alcoholics of the Animal World". Smithsonian. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  9. ^ "No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health". www.who.int. Archived from the original on 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2023-01-12.