A 2021 Gallup report showed that 60 percent of American adults consume alcohol. While drinking alcohol in moderation may not pose any significant health risks, excessive consumption of alcohol can.
According to a study led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and published in JAMA Network Open, one in every five deaths among US adults aged 20 to 49 is a result of excessive drinking. The figure falls to one in eight deaths when the age bracket extends to 64 years.
It Is the Third Preventable Killer
The study showed that alcohol-related deaths vary by state. For example, alcohol accounted for 9.3 percent of working-age deaths in Mississippi, while the figure was 21.7 percent in New Mexico.
Overall, alcohol is ranked third in the leading causes of preventable deaths. According to data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), alcohol-related deaths amount to 95,000 yearly. The number of men dying from alcohol is significantly higher at 68,000 compared to 27,000 for women.
The CDC study collected data on a state and federal level from 2015 to 2019 for deaths that were either directly or partly a result of alcohol consumption, including DUI-related crashes, alcohol poisoning, and alcohol-related liver disease.
It Could Be Worse
“It is surprising how society views alcohol as different from other substances while it is responsible for so many deaths. Very few people know that alcohol withdrawal for an addict can even cause death, which shows that it can be just as dangerous as other drugs when used irresponsibly,” says Kush Arora of Kush Arora Attorney At Law.
Not all alcohol-related deaths were captured in the report meaning the reality could be worse. The main limitation was that it was not always possible to verify alcohol’s connection with all deaths where it was a factor. There is also the question of underreporting of alcohol-related incidents that ultimately lead to death.
According to the CDC, regular drinking means one or two drinks a day for men and one for women. It also defines excessive drinking as binge drinking, heavy drinking, or drinking while pregnant or under 21.
Policymakers Responsibility
According to the CDC’s Dr. Marissa Esser, an author of the study, these findings should be a wake-up call to states and communities to create strategies to help prevent these premature deaths. According to Esser, taxation and limiting areas where alcohol is sold should be a starting point.
In 2021, Congress made permanent cuts on federal alcohol tax rates, which has resulted in more accessible alcohol and increased consumption. State taxation rates also have not kept up with inflation, but some hard-hit states like New Mexico are looking into raising taxes to control the problem. Oregon, too, is starting to see some pushback from activists hoping to have the state lose its title as a drinkers’ paradise.
Individual Responsibility
But, there is also individual responsibility to reduce alcohol consumption. Reducing alcohol consumption has the same effect as dieting or stopping other drugs. The more you remind yourself you need to change, the more you want to keep at it. But, it has to start somewhere.
According to Natalie Mokari, a North Carolina-based dietician, the best approach is starting with cutting down on what you currently take, for example, taking one drink less or cutting out a day and building on it. There is also a tool on the CDC’s website that can help you evaluate your drinking and help with making healthier choices.