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Alcohol abuse became the largest single cause of death among Finnish men aged 15 to 64, bypassing coronary heart disease as the main cause of death in the age group.
Alcohol-related deaths have risen by nearly one third in recent years. Among women, the figure has doubled within a decade.
According to Statistics Finland, about 2,000 Finns died of alcohol-related causes last year - 150 more than in previous years. Half of the group were middle-aged men.
In addition, alcohol is often a contributory factor in suicides, and intoxication is involved in nearly one in four deaths caused by accidents or violence.
The figures did not come as a surprise to Kalervo Kiianmaa, research professor at the National Public Health Institute.
"Now we are paying the price of the freedom that has been achieved, and the lower prices", Kiianmaa says.
The drop in the tax on alcohol in early 2004 had its greatest impact on the price of strong spirits.
Two developments prompted the tax cut: Finland’s limits on personal imports of alcoholic beverages from other European Union countries expired, and nearby Estonia, with very low alcohol prices, became a member of the EU. The tax cut was enacted mainly to stave off an expected surge in travel to Estonia for the purpose of buying cheaper alcohol there. The tax cut was followed by a surge in deaths by alcohol poisoning.
Ismo Tuominen, a leading official at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, sees the increased death rate among working-age Finns as a crisis situation.
"If the trend continues, we are talking about a significant matter even from the point of view of the economy, because people of working age pay the pensions of the coming generations, and keep the economy competitive", he says.
Most at risk of death from alcohol are middle-aged men who have been marginalised from society. Last year Finns consumed the equivalent of 10.5 litres of pure alcohol per capita.
Parliament is currently considering ways to bring alcohol consumption under control. Proposed measures include warning labels on beverage containers, an end to bulk discounts, and restrictions on television advertising.
Another proposal is to ban retail sales of alcoholic beverages before nine in the morning. Currently, stores can sell beer and cider already at 7:00 AM.
The increase in the consumption of alcohol can be seen both in the higher mortality rates, and in alcohol treatment. Those getting treatment for alcohol are in poorer condition than before.
"When cheap booze is available, people drink more and become sicker", explains Dr. Antti Holopainen, head of the Järvenpää Social Hospital run by the A-Clinic foundation.
Holopainen says that the need for treatment and rehabilitation has increased, but that municipalities are not providing enough funding for it.
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