Alcohol and interpersonal violence

The WHO European Region has the highest per capita levels of alcohol consumption in the world. Although drinking patterns and levels of interpersonal violence, such as homicide, vary widely throughout the Region, health and criminal justice studies increasingly highlight the role of alcohol consumption in people becoming victims of violence as well as perpetrators of violence.

WHO has produced a series of policy briefings to present the challenges that interpersonal violence and alcohol place on public health, whether at the individual, relationship and community level or society at large. Alcohol is also a risk factor for self-directed violence and unintentional injuries. The "European status report on alcohol and health" highlights the problem of alcohol-related harm in the Region and the national policy response across Europe.