Third Leading Cause of Preventable Death

April is Alcohol Awareness Month 

 

High-risk drinking is a widespread problem

with extensive consequences.

Each year, nearly 80,000 people die from alcohol-related causes, making it the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States.

Alcohol problems cost the U.S. $225 billion each year, primarily from lost productivity, but also from health care and property damage costs. These issues affect every American, regardless of whether they drink or not.

More than 30 percent of U.S. adults will meet the criteria for an alcohol use disorder at some point during their lives. The term “alcohol use disorder” includes both alcoholism and harmful drinking that has not reached the level of dependence.

Alcohol-related problems — which result from drinking too much, too fast, or too often — are among the most significant public health issues in the United States.

• An estimated 18 million Americans have an alcohol use disorder.
• One in four children grows up in a home with an adult who has a problem with alcohol, and
• Only one in four people with alcoholism ever receives treatment, which increases the likelihood of long-term recovery.

Globally, alcohol is the third leading risk factor for premature death and disability.

- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism