Alcoholism Statistics: Facts About Accidents, Deaths and Diseases

The death rate from excessive alcohol use in Hawaii is below average, but alcohol-related death is more prevalent among males than anywhere else in the United States (excluding territories). Alcohol abuse, alcoholism, and alcohol use disorder (AUD) kill over 3 million people each year, accounting for up to 6% of global deaths. We know that constant heavy drinking is bad for us, but even knocking back the booze at moderate levels can still have an impact.

1. Alcohol consumption is a known risk factor for a number of health conditions, and potential mortality cases.
2. This includes 32% whose most recent drink was in the last 24 hours, and 37% who most recently had one within the last two to seven days.
3. 7% of those between the ages of 12 and 17 years suffer from AUD, and this is very common to women.
4. In fact, recent polling by DrinkAware found that 26% of Gen Z abstain from alcohol entirely.

However, adults who have a usual place of care were less likely to engage in heavy drinking than adults without a usual place of care. Adults who regularly felt depressed or anxious were more likely to engage in heavy drinking than those without these feelings. † Largest number of drinks consumed on an occasion in the past 30 days among adults who reported binge drinking.

Alcohol abuse statistics indicate some inequalities may be due to social conditioning. Learn how many people ages 12 to 20 engage in underage alcohol misuse in the United States and the impact it has. Men are still more likely to die from alcohol-related diseases than women, but numbers are rising at a slower rate; in the same effective treatments for alcohol use disorders time period, 6,348 men died from alcohol-related disease, a 29% rise. If your pattern of drinking results in repeated significant distress and problems functioning in your daily life, you likely have alcohol use disorder. However, even a mild disorder can escalate and lead to serious problems, so early treatment is important.

Underage Alcohol Abuse

These drugs also have a high potential for abuse; this may or may not be due to addictive properties. Drugs that are considered “gateway drugs” (that is, substances that are often precursors to abuse of other, possibly more dangerous drugs) or deemed a public health risk may also be listed under Schedule I. In 2017, the cost of drug abuse in the US was nearly $272 billion, taking into account crime, healthcare needs, lost work productivity and other impacts on society. For more information, see our report on alcohol abuse and alcohol-related deaths.

Heavy drinking is defined as more than seven drinks per week for women and more than 14 drinks per week for men. It has been estimated that alcohol abuse costs the United States billions of dollars in lost workplace productivity and extra healthcare expenses every year. The expenses are not limited to loss of wages, either; they can also involve legal fees and fines for crimes committed under the influence of alcohol. Adults who regularly felt worried, alcoholic ketoacidosis nervous, or anxious (7.0%) and adults who regularly felt depressed (7.6%) were more likely than adults without these feelings to engage in heavy drinking in the past year (Figure 3). This chart is shown for the global total but can be explored for any country or region using the “Change country or region” toggle. The charts show global consumption of spirits, which are distilled alcoholic drinks, including gin, rum, whisky, tequila, and vodka.

Drug Abuse Financial Costs

Arizona has a high number of alcohol-related deaths compared to its population. Alabama has the third-highest rate of under-21 deaths related to excessive alcohol use. Explore how many people ages 18 to 25 engage in alcohol misuse in the United States and the impact it has. This article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any concerns you may have regarding your alcohol consumption. New research also showed that the proportion of women binge-drinking in Britain is joint-highest with Denmark, with 26% of women consuming at least six drinks in once sitting at least once a month.

California Alcohol Abuse Statistics

Data on the prevalence of binge drinking by age and gender in the UK can be found here, and trends in heavy and binge drinking in the USA can be found here. This is given as the share of adults aged 15 years and older who have drunk alcohol within the previous year. Alcohol has historically, and continues to, hold an important role in social engagement and bonding for many. Social drinking or moderate alcohol consumption for many is pleasurable.

Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your physician or dial 911. One in three people who receive treatment for alcohol problems remain symptom-free after one year, according to a study cited by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a condition that results when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy. FAS causes growth problems in some babies, as well as intellectual disabilities or behavioral problems.

Prevalence of Drinking

Statistics indicate that Illinois may have a significant underage drinking problem though its under-21 death rate has declined in recent years. The District of Columbia’s alcohol-related death causes and risk factors of alcoholism rate increases faster than any U.S. state’s, and the rate of binge drinkers is very high. Alcohol Use Disorder and alcoholism have damaged some groups or demographics more than others.

Maine has one of the nation’s lowest rates of under-21 alcohol-related deaths. Alcohol-related deaths in Idaho are more likely to be older, chronic alcohol users. Delaware’s alcohol-related death rate has skyrocketed over the last few years. Children aged 17 years and younger are much more likely to live with an alcoholic parent than they are to be diagnosed with a learning disability or ADHD.

We also find correlates in drinking patterns when we look at groupings of income, education or work status. Although those in lower income or educational status groups often drink less overall, they are more likely to have lower-frequency, higher-intensity drinking patterns. Overall, these groups drink less, but a higher percentage will drink heavily when they do. Across Europe, for example, more than two-thirds do in most countries.

Alcohol-related deaths are prevalent among people in their middle ages ranging from years, and alcohol death statistics show that 76% of this population is males and 24% are females. Here’s the fact; alcoholic intake damages virtually all the body organs and leads to different medical complications and ailments. If the abuse persists and the ailments are not alleviated, the effects can be dangerous and increase the alcohol poisoning statistics. Apart from these physiological downsides, excessive drinking also affects proper brain functioning. Under alcohol influence, people act weird, cause and become accident victims. Men are more likely than women to consume alcohol heavily, and excessive drinking is most common among people ages 18 to 34 years old.

South Dakota has an elevated rate of alcohol-related deaths per capita and a high rate of under-21 deaths. The rate of alcohol-related deaths per capita is very high in Oklahoma. Statistics indicate Ohio’s drinking habits are on par with national averages. North Carolina has a low rate of alcohol-related deaths per capita and a low rate of under-21 deaths.

Massachusetts has one of the nation’s lowest rates of under-21 alcohol-related drinking deaths. Louisiana has the nation’s highest rate of under-21 drinkers among its alcohol-related deaths. Alaska has the nation’s second-highest number of alcohol-related deaths per capita. Discover how many people with alcohol use disorder in the United States receive treatment across age groups and demographics.

Alcohol consumption by an expectant mother may cause fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and pre-term birth complications. The harmful use of alcohol can also result in harm to other people, such as family members, friends, co-workers and strangers. The data produced by third parties and made available by Our World in Data is subject to the license terms from the original third-party authors. We will always indicate the original source of the data in our documentation, so you should always check the license of any such third-party data before use and redistribution. All visualizations, data, and code produced by Our World in Data are completely open access under the Creative Commons BY license.

Mental illness and substance abuse (comorbidity) is relatively common among military veterans. Accidental drug overdose is a leading cause of death among persons under the age of 45. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized expansion of Medicare coverage to include opioid treatment programs delivering MAT (medication-assisted-treatment) effective Jan. 1, 2020. There’s a lot you may not know about this popular substance that’s found in some of your favorite cocktails, liquors, beers, and wines. We’ll fill you in on 30 facts and five myths about this often-celebratory substance consumed in many cultures around the world. Point estimates and the corresponding variances for this analysis were calculated using SUDAAN software (5) to account for the complex sample design of NHIS.