The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study on alcohol-attributable deaths due to excessive alcohol use in the United States. The Alcohol and Public Health: Alcohol-Related Disease Impact
looked at alcohol-related deaths over a four-year period (2006-2010). According to the study, over 10,000 lives were lost to alcohol-related causes. The majority (around 70%) of lives lost were males between the ages of 50 – 64.
The study was broken down into those who succumbed to chronic alcohol-related causes and those who died from acute causes. Of the 10,694 lives lost because of the harmful effects of alcohol, just over half died from chronic causes. The most common cause of death for both men and women was alcoholic liver disease followed by alcohol dependence syndrome for men and unspecified liver cirrhosis for women.
Tragically, 385 people under the age of 19 were killed in alcohol-attributable deaths during that same period. The majority were killed by motor vehicle crashes or homicide. The most common cause of alcohol-related death for young adults between the ages of 20 -34 was motor vehicle crashes, again followed closely by homicide.
Unfortunately, alcohol is responsible for too many deaths every year in California and throughout the United States. Getting help is the key to success and helping to changes these devastating statistics.