1 Introduction
According to a global health report (2007), alcohol was responsible for 4% of the morbidity burden and 3.2% (1.8 million)
of global deaths in 2000. Among the 26 risk factors assessed by WHO, alcohol ranked fifth in terms of risk factors for
premature deaths and disabilities. In the year 2000, alcohol was the most important health risk factor in the Americas, in
developing countries, including Brazil and Mexico, as well as in developed countries like the United States and Canada.
Alcohol consumption in the Americas is approximately 40% higher than the global average, which may justify the fact that
the continent is the only region in the world where alcohol was ranked first as a risk factor for premature deaths and
disabilities