Excessive alcohol use is responsible for more than 140,000 deaths each year in the United States and more than $249 billion in economic costs.
Binge drinking
Consuming four or more drinks per occasion for women; five or more drinks per occasion for men
Heavy drinking
Consuming eight or more alcoholic drinks per week for women or 15 or more alcoholic drinks per week for men
Any drinking by
pregnant women
Any alcohol use by
those under the age
of 21 years
Excessive drinking is linked to many chronic illnesses, including cancer and heart disease, and acute harms such as injuries. In fact, alcohol is a contributing factor to the leading causes of deaths among young people: unintentional injuries (e.g., motor vehicle crashes), suicide, and homicide. Importantly, alcohol is attributed to harms to people other than the drinker, including violence, child maltreatment and neglect, financial harms, and general social disorganization. People other than the drinker and local and state governments bear most of the financial and social costs of excessive drinking.
Binge drinking is the deadliest, costliest, and most common pattern of excessive drinking in the U.S.
≥4 drinks for women and ≥5 for men, per occasion
of the deaths due to excessive drinking
of the Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL)
of the economic
costs
of excessive drinkers
binge drink
of the deaths due to excessive drinking
of the Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL)
of the economic costs
of excessive drinkers binge drink
Almost half of all alcohol-attributable deaths are
from binge drinking
- 100% Alcohol-Attributable (Chronic)
- Cancer
- Heart Disease and Stroke
- Liver, Gallbladder, and Pancreas
- Other Chronic Causes
- Alcohol-Related Poisonings
- Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes
- Suicide
- Other Acute Causes
Alcohol is attributed to
of homicides
of falls
of motor vehicle crashes
of suicides
of firearm injuries
Alcohol also contributes to harm to people other
than the drinker
Physical, sexual,
and psychological
violence
Property crimes
Social disorganization
Harms to fetuses
from drinking by
pregnant people
Financial harms
Earlier age of initiation of drinking and increased frequency among youth in the same household
Crashes involving
other drivers
Child neglect and maltreatment
Physical, sexual, and psychological violence
Property crimes
Social disorganization
Harms to fetuses from drinking by
pregnant people
Financial harms
Earlier age of initiation of drinking and increased frequency among youth in the same household
Crashes involving other drivers
Child neglect and maltreatment
Sales from off-premise alcohol outlets were up 30% in 2021 compared to 2018 and 2019 (Census Bureau retail sales data).
Nearly 1 in 4 adults (23%) reported drinking more alcohol to cope with pandemic-related stress (American Psychological Association).
Research Updates
A November 2022 study in JAMA Network Open suggests that an estimated 1 in 8 total deaths among US adults aged 20 to 64 years were attributable to excessive alcohol use, including 1 in 5 deaths among adults 20 to 49.
Research documents trend of increased alcohol-related visits to emergency departments during Covid-19. Visit rates were higher in all quarters during 2020 compared with corresponding quarters during 2018–2019, with the greatest difference in the second quarter (+24%).
A study in JAMA concludes that alcohol-related deaths increased by nearly 26% during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the largest increases in deaths occurring among people aged 25-44.