Rising Number of US Deaths, Linked to Excessive Drinking, Study Shows.
CNN reports that the study relied on national and state mortality data from 2015 to 2019 and included deaths either fully or partially linked to excessive drinking.
An estimated one in five deaths of people between ages 20 and 49 in America were attributed to excessive alcohol consumption.
According to the study, one in eight people between 20 and 64 years old died from drinking-related causes.
Lead study author Dr. Marissa Esser said that while the percentage of deaths attributed to alcohol varied state by state, it remains the leading cause of preventable death in the nation.
These preventable deaths include vehicle accidents, alcohol poisoning and other health issues brought on by excessive drinking, like liver disease.
According to Esser, the data showed that deaths fully attributable to alcohol have been rising over the past ten years.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention considers moderate drinking as two drinks or less a day for men and one drink or less a day for women.
According to the CDC, about two-thirds of adults in the U.S. report drinking more than moderate amounts at least once a month.
The CDC also estimates that about 1 in 6 adults binge drink, with a quarter of those adults doing so at least once a week.
The study was published November 2 in 'JAMA Network Open.'
