Alcoholism refers to the inability to stop drinking because of a physical and/or psychological dependence on alcohol. The symptoms of alcoholism can include recurring alcohol consumption despite numerous negative consequences, guilt regarding drinking as well as a recognition that one’s drinking patterns are problematic which often leads to an attempt to control drinking patterns. As per the World Health Organisation, South Africa’s drinking population consumes 28.9 litres of pure alcohol per capita per annum, which is the 5th highest rate in the world.[1] Research conducted by BMC Medicine shows that there were 62 300 alcohol-attributable deaths in South Africa in 2015 which amounts to approximately 12% of total deaths in that year which amounted to 529 400. [2]

 

[1] https://businesstech.co.za/news/lifestyle/332909/south-africa-has-some-of-the-heaviest-drinkers-in-the-world/

[2] https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-018-1080-0