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In the current times, which mark the peak of alcohol and drug addictions across the globe, the World Health Organization finds just a handful of countries following their steps and policies to prevent and bring about a reduction in the abuse of alcohol.
Most of the rest don’t have effective programs, at all, developed and brought into action for diminishing the excessive consumption of alcohol and related drugs. The UN health organization draws out the fact that over 2.5 million deaths per year are contributed by alcohol intake. Other hazards like diseases and injuries due to alcohol abuse are also peaking.
The first warning against alcohol abuse was given by the WHO in the year 1999, and since then only a few, as much as 34, countries have been consistently introducing and following effective policies for preventing harmful use and abuse of alcohol by their respective citizens. Some of these policies include restrictions imposed on marketing of alcohol in certain regions of a country, prohibiting ‘drink and drive’ activities and introducing severe detentions for those who do not follow the policies.
In particular, the UN found countries in the continents of Africa and Asia (the southeast) to be very lenient in manifesting alcohol prohibition policies. This clemency has resulted in tremendous increases in the abuse of alcohol, esp. in regions where there are lesser health supplies. Statistically, the population proportion that shows increase in consumption of alcohol in Africa in the past few years is over 25 %, while that in Southeast Asia (comprising of countries like Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Indonesia, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Timor-Leste) crossed 68 %.
The countries that unify in this category are all small and developing countries, with lack of power regulations, literacy, education and opportunities. Even medical and other luxury facilities are devoid in some regions. These may be the major factors contributing towards the one-legged nature of alcohol abuse prevention policies, here. 
While, other developed countries like the American, the European, eastern Mediterranean and western Pacific regions are doing the execution of their policy measures quite consistently and well.
“The World and the World Health Organization are worried about these trends of these nations”, says the WHO. Last year’s May had witnessed the approval of a strategy, against abuse of alcohol, by the WHO. This strategy included ban of heavy discounts and unlimited drinking schemes on avoidable drinks and scraping advertisements that target the youth. This strategy was drawn by the UN health agency and was approved by 193 member states of the agency. But, unfortunately, the following of these approaches is not taken in the required serious manner.
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