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Indians high on hard liquor, yet to develop a taste for wine
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Wednesday, 16 February, 2011, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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Indians love their whisky, rum and vodka, but they are yet to develop a taste for wine, as per the findings of the World Health Organisation's global status report on alcohol and health, which has analysed alcohol consumption in over 100 countries.
"Pure alcohols" comprise 88% of what Indians drink regularly, while beer makes up for only 10% of the beverage share and wine a mere 2%. An average Indian adult (18 years and over) drank 2.6 litres "pure alcohol" in 2003-05, a figure higher than the per capita consumption in the South-East Asia region that stood at 2.2 litres.
In a pattern of drinking score ( the higher the score, the greater the alcohol attributable burden of disease for the country), WHO gives India 3 out of 5.
The WHO report says alcohol consumption results in the death of 2.5 million people annually. Most alcohol related deaths are caused by injuries, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and liver cirrhosis.
Nearly 62.5 million people in India drink alcohol with per capita consumption being around 4 litres per adult per year. For every six men, one woman drinks alcohol in India. Over 40% of road crashes occur in India during the night, with one-third of them being due to drunken driving. India has also become one of the largest alcoholic beverages industries in the world, producing 65% of the alcohol in South-East Asia. It also contributes to about 7% of the total alcohol beverage imports into the region.
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