An estimated 1 in 5 deaths of U.S. adults ages 20 to 49 is from excessive drinking, a new study by JAMA Network Open reports. Excessive alcohol consumption is a leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States.
For U.S. adults ages 20 to 64, an estimated 1 in 8 deaths is drinking-related. The study found that during the past decade, deaths to fully alcohol-attributable causes (i.e. alcoholic liver disease) have increased.
“I’m not surprised by these numbers. This is a conservative estimate,” David Jernigan, a professor of health law, policy and management at Boston University, told CNN.
Researchers performed a cross-sectional study, in which they took national and state mortality data from 2015 to 2019 and looked at deaths due to partially alcohol-attributable causes and fully alcohol-attributable causes.
Marissa Esser, the lead researcher on this study, said that there were deaths that were likely alcohol-related but could not be included in the data, per CNN. If the researchers could not determine with certainty the role alcohol played in a death, it was not included in the estimates.
According to the study, the four leading causes for alcohol-attributable deaths were alcoholic liver disease, alcohol poisoning, motor-vehicle crashes and homicide.
A 2021 U.S. study published in the journal Preventive Medicine found that 40% of people who died violently had alcohol in their bloodstream. Excessive alcohol use causes those who die to have their lives shortened by an average of 26 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“It doesn’t get anywhere near the attention that it should,” Jernigan said, per CNN. “The bottom line is (researchers) continue to show that excessive alcohol use is a big problem in the US.”
How much is too much?
The CDC defines binge drinking as drinking four or more drinks during a single occasion for women and drinking five or more drinks during a single occasion for men. Heavy drinking is defined as eight drinks per week for women and 15 drinks per week for men.
Moderate drinking is one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. Two-thirds of adult drinkers report drinking more than that at least one a month, the CDC reports.
Excessive drinking can lead to a slew of health problems, the CDC reports. Chronic health effects include: liver disease, heart disease, memory problems, mental health problems and cancer. Immediate health effects can be: injuries, violence, overdosing, sexually transmitted infections and suicide.
The CDC offers a tool that helps people evaluate their drinking habits and receive advice on how to make healthier choices, if necessary.
What are potential solutions?
There are options to prevent premature deaths related to alcohol. The CDC shares “evidence-based prevention strategies” that prove to reduce poor drinking habits.
Some of these solutions are: increasing tax on alcohol, holding retailers accountable for harms that result from illegally selling alcohol, limiting the hours when alcohol can be sold or served and enforcing laws that prevent minors from access to alcohol.
If you need help
If you need immediate help, you can call the the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline — it is free and available 24/7 at 800-662-HELP.
For local help and support groups, find an Alcoholics Anonymous group close to you on their website.