Alcohol and Cause Specific Mortality in Russia

Alcohol and cause-specific mortality in Russia: a retrospective case–control study of 48 557 adult deaths : The Lancet

Alcohol-attributable mortality varies by year; in several recent years, alcohol was a cause of more than half of all Russian deaths at ages 15—54 years. Alcohol accounts for most of the large fluctuations in Russian mortality, and alcohol and tobacco account for the large difference in adult mortality between Russia and western Europe.

Alcohol and Suicide

Alcohol and Suicide Among Racial/Ethnic Populations — 17 States, 2005–2006

This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicated that the overall prevalence of alcohol intoxication (i.e., blood alcohol concentration [BAC] at or above the legal limit of 0.08 g/dL) was nearly 24% among suicide decedents tested for alcohol, with the highest percentage occurring among American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) (37%), followed by Hispanics (29%) and persons aged 20–49 years (28%).

Binge Drinking – the MMWR Version

Sociodemographic Differences in Binge Drinking Among Adults — 14 States, 2004

I like the Medpage article title better but the details in the original MMWR summary are a lot better.  For example:

However, after adjusting for sex and age, the highest average number of binge drinking episodes during the preceding 30 days was reported by binge drinkers whose household income was <$25,000. (4.9), and the highest average number of drinks per binge episode was reported by non-Hispanic blacks (8.4) and Hispanics (8.1).

Know your sources, read widely, and don’t make broad assumptions from titles.