Excessive Alcohol Use Linked to Numerous Deaths Across the Country
As reported by CNN, a new study published in the Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research journal shows that “the number of alcohol-related deaths increased by 50.9%” from 1999 to 2017. Liver disease and overdoses from alcohol or alcohol mixed with another drug were the primary source of death.
The study, conducted by researchers with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, looked at death certificates over nearly two decades. From 1999 to 2017 there were nearly 1 million alcohol related deaths. In 2017 alone, there were 2.8 million alcohol-related deaths. “The largest annual increase occurred among NH (Non-Hispanic) White Females.” Nearly all age groups experienced an increase in alcohol-related deaths except for those 16 to 20 and those over 75 years old.
According to the abstract, “(a)lcohol consumption, alcohol-related emergency visits, and hospitalizations have all increased in the last 2 decades, particularly among women and people middle-aged and older.” The study of death certificates from 1999 to 2017 shows an increase in alcohol-involved mortality but may actually fall short of truly reflecting how many deaths can be related to excessive alcohol use. Many death certificates fail to accurately report the role alcohol played in person’s death.
Read more from CNN on how “Alcohol-related deaths have doubled in the US and women are at an increased risk, study says.”
View the abstract “Using Death Certificates to Explore Changes in Alcohol-Related Mortality in the United States, 1999 to 2017” from the journal: Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.