Alcoholism Statistics – Drinking-Related Deaths And Abuse Facts

Last Updated: August 7, 2019

Alcohol Abuse Statistics

Binge drinking is not uncommon, and alcohol statistics show that countless adults suffer from Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Likewise, some youths between the ages of 12 and 17 years suffer AUD. A look at the educational campuses of the U.S shows that excessive drinking is trendy. Mortality related to excessive drinking is a top death cause in the country and can be prevented, and the economic burden of alcohol abuse runs into billions of dollars.
Alcoholism statistics show that there is a problem in the U.S. which needs to be tackled effectively and swiftly. Here are the detailed numbers.

Prevalence of Drinking

Social drinking is not a crime in the U.S. Alcohol consumption statistics advocates normal drinking, and nobody frowns when you take just a glass or two of drink a glass or two of wine at an event, party or while watching your favorite team play. Get this; not all who drink occasionally get addicted. On the other hand, some people abuse drinking. Pay attention to the signs of an alcoholic to protect friends and family.

The following are the drinking statistics for 2014:

  • About 8% of college students between the ages of 18 and 22 years attested to drinking in the last month. 7% of teens who are 15 years agreed they took drinks containing ethanol once in their life. 8% of people between the ages of 12 & 20 years through alcohol consumption statistics reported drinking alcohol in the last month.
  • 86% of people who are 18 years of age and more reported drinking alcohol once during their lifetime. In the same vein, 71% of people in the same age group agreed that they drank last year while 56.9% had alcohol the previous month.

Alcohol Abuse Statistics

Binge Drinking Statistics and its Prevalence

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that binge drinking is a leading form of excessive use of alcohol. Binge drinkers tend to take around eight drinks at a go, which is far more than what constitutes health risk behavior. Large intake of alcoholic drinks within a short period increases the risk of an overdose with severe consequences. Alcohol addiction in veterans is worrisome. Check out these numbers on binge drinking statistics right from 2014, it indeed calls for attention:

  • 7% of people aged 18 years and more reported that they binged on alcoholic drinks in the past month.
  • 8% of those between 12 and 20 years agreed to be binging on alcohol regularly.
  • 9% of college students reported binge drinking in the past month. Abusing alcohol in college is likely to develop into dependence.

Prevalence of Excessive Drinking

The alcohol addiction statistics on excessive drinking shows the magnitude of the problem of alcoholic drink abuse. From a survey carried out sometime in 2014, the following facts were obtained, and this shows how high alcohol abuse statistics are:

  • 7% of individuals who were 18 years as well those above 18 attested to drinking heavily at least once in the last month.
  • 4% of people between the ages of 12 and 20 years drink heavily.
  • 2% of students in the college drank heavily in the past month.

Prevalence of AUD

Alcohol Use Disorder is a condition that usually manifests in individuals that are alcoholic dependent and can deteriorate to addiction if proper and early treatment for alcoholism is not administered – this often increases the alcohol poisoning statistics. A person that has AUD often feels the urge to binge and not stopping.

How often can one see an Alcohol Use Disorder?

The U.S. government has their drinking statistics records for 2014 which indicates that 8% of those aged 18 and more suffer AUD, and men are more victims than women. 7% of those between the ages of 12 and 17 years suffer from AUD, and this is very common to women.
Alcohol Use Disorder shows that a person is highly dependent on alcohol and feels enticed to seek and have it.  AUD can progress to addiction if not arrested quickly.

According to U.S. government records for 2014, AUD is prevalent among youths and adults:

  • 8% of individuals who were 18 years and above (about 16.3 million) were victims of AUD. The predominance appears to be more among males than females, as there were about 10.6 million males and 5.7 million females.
  • 7% of individuals between the ages of 12 and 17 (679,000 teenagers) suffered from AUD. Girls outnumbered boys in this category. The record has 367,000 girls compared to 311,000 boys.

How Common are Alcohol-Related Deaths?

Alcohol-related deaths are prevalent among people in their middle ages ranging from 35-64 years, and alcohol death statistics show that 76% of this population is males and 24% are females. Every year, about 88,000 persons die from alcohol-related issues.
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.

Deaths caused by alcohol poisoning statistics

Alcohol could be quite deadly, check out these alcohol death statistics

  • When it comes to mortality in the U.S, alcohol stands out as the fourth significant cause, and about 88,000 people give up the ghost due to alcohol-related causes.
  • On average, about six persons die from alcohol poisoning daily – this is in line with a CDC report in 2015 and causes an increase in alcohol poisoning statistics.  76% of cases of alcohol overdose and deaths are common among the working class between the ages of 35 and 64.
  • In 2014, about 31% of the road accidents were instigated by drivers who were being influenced by alcohol. Likewise, about 1,825 numbers of students in the college between the ages of 18 and 24 give up the ghost due to the influence of alcoholic drinks. In 2011, 48% of all individuals who gave up the ghost due to cirrhosis were engaged in alcohol abuse.
  • In the year 2011, alcohol-related deaths from cirrhosis increased to 72.7% among those between the ages of 25 & 35 years, and a quick follow up was those between 35 & 44 at about 70.3%.
  • Between 2006 and 2010, over 3000 deaths were recorded from heart ailments and strokes which were due to the excessive intake of alcoholic drinks as recorded by Alcohol-Related Disease Impact Report by CDC – the binge drinking statistics attest to this.

Alcohol-Related Diseases, Accidents, and Violence Statistics

Alcohol abuse takes a person down a risky path. The risk of developing serious disease increases. Because alcohol also takes over the mind, the chronic user and the addict can’t control their reflexes, impulses, and cognitive faculties, causing increased violence-oriented incidents. Many alcohol facts and statistics show that most of these incidents result in bad.
In 2009, alcohol-induced liver disease was the reason behind 1 in 3 liver transplants. 696,000 students in the college who age between 18 & 24 years get involved in alcohol-related assaults yearly. Likewise, 97,000 students in the college between the ages of 18 & 24 years experience alcohol-related assault or rape during dates.
A 3% reduction in the count of bars in Buckhead of Atlanta which was observed between 1997 and 2002 and between 2003 and 2007 caused the 2X decrease in the incidents of crimes in this area unlike the other areas in the city.

alcohol-related-violent-incidents

The incidence of Alcohol Abuse in Pregnant Women

When it comes to consumption of alcohol by expectant mothers, alcohol crosses the placenta and is absorbed by the blood and tissues of the developing fetus. Pregnant women who drink don’t just harm themselves, but also their fetus. The following are some disturbing poisoning statistics of alcoholism in women and alcoholic woman signs:

  • 1 out of every 10 pregnant women consumes alcohol – this was contained in a Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) report for 2011-2013 by the CDC. 1 out of 33 women binged during the past month from 2011 to 2013.
  • As at 2011-2013, binge drinking statistics showed expectant mothers reported an average of 4.6 binge-drinking sessions in the past month against an average of 3.1 as given by non-pregnant women.

Alcohol Abuse in Pregnant Women

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) has been recorded to be prevalent in 0.3 out of every 1,000 children between the ages of 7 and nine years – this was published by CDC on January 30 in line with their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report in 2015. FAS is characterized by poor growth and inadequate functioning of the CNS (Central Nervous System) and high alcohol tolerance due to the drinking abuse of mothers.

Economic and Social Costs of Alcohol Abuse

When you think of drinking abuse, there are countless economic and social burdens that come with it, starting from non-productivity to having an unhealthy lifestyle and all that falls in between. Although a functioning alcoholic can continue working, their productivity decreases significantly.
These alcoholism statistics will make you cower in fear about the bad effects of alcohol:

  • From 2006 to 2010, CDC reported that the count of Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) rose to 2.5 million.
  • As of 2010, an estimated cost of drinking abuse was about $249 billion, indicating a drain in the economy. About 1 out of every four students in the college had falling grades and reported absent from school due to the effects of alcohol.
  • Over 10% of all the U.S. children have one of their parents practicing alcohol abuse. Most probably, these kids grow up experiencing verbal, emotional and physical abuse. Often, these kids suffer emotional and physical neglect, making them scared throughout their lifetime.
  • Alcoholism statistics don’t just create awareness, but makes people know the dangers and help those who abuse alcohol curtail their abuse and reduce the increasing alcohol abuse statistics.

There are plenty of opportunities to treat addiction including support groups, drug rehabs with inpatient or outpatient programs, and counselors. It is important to start treatment in one of the alcohol treatment centers at once to prevent possible negative consequences.

Author

Gregory Okhifun

Dr. Gregory Okhifun

Medical Reviewer

Dr. Okhifun is a passionate medical doctor, with over five years’ experience as a general practitioner. His passion for medical education led to his journey in medical writing. He has a wealth of experience writing for hospitals and medical centers, health organizations, telemedicine platforms, wellness organizations, medical tourism publications, addiction websites, and websites focused on nutrition and nutraceuticals.
He also serves as medical coordinator and content writer for Gerocare Solutions, for which he also volunteers as a health advisor/consultant for the elderly.
Dr. Okhifun enjoys traveling, meditation, and reading.

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