No real surprise, but the extent of this problem is surprising to me: according to a paper by Ralph L. Keeney, almost 45% of deaths in the USA are due to clearly poor decisions about smoking, other alcohol, illegal drugs, diet, exercise, driving, etc. Thanks to Michael Trick’s blog for this pointer. Rejoinders to this paper are also available at OR Forum.

I would like to see detailed discussion of the effect of alcohol on premature death and disability. Living in a country where basic social interaction seems to involve alcohol to a ridiculous degree, I have often felt that the downside of its consumption is overlooked here. Perhaps this is now changing – I am now seeing articles on the bad effects of binge drinking, and Parliament is considering a reversal of the drop in the legal drinking age. Let’s hope that evidence-based policy will result.