"The alcohol industry must put people before profits and stop perpetuating harmful drinking patterns," a thread of article by Profs Glenda Gray, Charles Parry and Richard Matzopoulos.

In addition to the dual epidemics of HIV, TB and NCDs, South Africa has an injury epidemic and is among the most violent countries in the world with twice the global average for injuries and 5X the global average for homicides.

These epidemics bring death, despair and tragedy to households and families. The loss of a young adult to injury-related causes– the group most at-risk – is a direct loss of livelihoods for families and so it is an epidemic that impacts on both lives and livelihoods.

Alcohol is undeniably one of the biggest drivers of injury. Unlike infectious diseases and NCDs, this is one epidemic that is under our control and is entirely preventable.

To prevent and control this epidemic we need our citizens, our government and the liquor industry to cooperate. It cannot be business as usual.

South Africa has some of the heaviest drinkers in the world. Only 43% of adult men in SA drink and about 20% of women, but consumption per drinker is so high that per capita consumption, which includes non-drinkers, is higher than most other countries.

There is a pervasive culture of drinking to intoxication, esp. over weekends. Adult per capita consumption in grams of absolute alcohol consumed per drinker is the 6th highest globally and substantially higher than the average for other African countries according to the WHO.

Almost six out of 10 adolescent and adult drinkers engage in heavy binge/episodic drinking: 71% of male and 34% of female drinkers, higher than both the regional and global averages.