Adam Sherk reports institutional support from the Canadian Cancer Society and Canadian Institutes for Health Research. If you think someone you know may have an alcohol problem, it’s important to approach the topic with care and compassion and encourage them to seek professional help. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic condition that can be difficult to overcome without proper treatment. However, many people who struggle with AUD do not receive the help they need. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world.
- Men are more likely than women to consume alcohol heavily, and excessive drinking is most common among people ages 18 to 34 years old.
- These efforts are bolstered by community-level campaigns and toolkits designed to reach high-risk groups, including college students, low-income families, and people with mental health conditions.
- Adults who regularly felt worried, 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).
- Alcohol abuse affects people of all races and ethnicities in the United States, but research has shown that there are some differences in drinking patterns among different racial groups.
What age group is alcohol use disorder most common?

Excessive alcohol use cost the U.S. economy a staggering $249 billion annually, translating to $807 per person and $2.05 for every drink consumed. These figures include the toll of lost workplace productivity, crime, healthcare, and property damage linked to alcohol misuse. A majority—72% of the total cost—was due to lost productivity, showing how alcohol use hampers employee performance, absenteeism, premature death, and disability. Meanwhile, 17% of the total was attributed to property damage and criminal justice expenses, reflecting the societal cost of alcohol-related offenses like drunk driving, assaults, and vandalism. Alcohol is one of the few legal substances that leads to nearly half a alcoholism million lost lives every year in the U.S., whether from organ failure, accidents, or violence.
- New research suggests trauma may leave biological “markers” that increase vulnerability to substance abuse in future generations.
- This can be done by not keeping alcohol in the home, only drinking in specific places, or not allowing others to provide alcohol.
- Continue reading to learn more about these general trends, along with drinking trends amongst various subpopulations.
Urbanization and Alcohol Related Deaths
In addition, there was no association between heavy drinking and current health insurance status. 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. In 2018, 5.1% of adults engaged in heavy drinking in the past year, 15.5% engaged in moderate drinking, 45.7% engaged in light drinking, and 33.7% did not consume alcohol (Figure 1).
Heavy Drinking Among U.S. Adults, 2018
PTSD victims have a higher chance of developing alcoholism as a way to self-medicate. The seriousness and type of PTSD symptoms that they suffer contribute to their alcohol addiction. These statistics on alcohol were provided by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. That’s a lot of people living with this disorder, and steps need to be taken to reduce the number. Of those regularly drinking alcohol, the facts show that this number comprises more than 40% of them.

Because the support of family members is important to the recovery process, many programs also offer brief marital counseling and family therapy as part of the treatment process. Programs alcoholism statistics may also link individuals with vital community resources, such as legal assistance, job training, childcare and parenting classes. With the NIAAA treatment navigator, anyone can put their ZIP code in and find programs, doctors, and therapists in their area. And for health care providers, we developed the Healthcare Professional’s Core Research on Alcohol, which tells them everything they’ve ever wanted to know about alcohol.
The study examined the consumption of different types of alcohol, including spirits, beer, and wine. Drinking is often expected on certain social occasions, and even some red wine has some health benefits. These alcoholism statistics should help you become more conscious of the https://globria.mdshaheimran.me/what-to-say-to-someone-on-their-sobriety/ hazards, demonstrating why it’s best to drink alcohol in moderation. American Indians/ Alaskan Natives have the highest rates of alcohol related deaths. The death rate for all races has jumped in the interim between 2006 and 2019. Combining alcohol with other depressants, such as opioids, is an especially high-risk activity.
How Much Alcohol Are People Drinking?
Added to these costs is the toll on people’s health, quality of life, safety, and well-being. Insurance coverage profoundly influences whether individuals can afford or even seek out treatment. Although historically higher illicit drug usage has been observed in urban centers, rural areas have faced unique substance challenges – particularly opioids. The financial toll of addiction is massive, driving healthcare expenditures, productivity losses, and criminal justice costs. Those who start using substances before age 13 have a much higher likelihood of developing a long-term disorder compared to those initiating later. This emphasizes the centrality of middle-school-level prevention, family engagement, and community education.
These symptoms include sweating, shaking hands, nausea, vomiting, insomnia, and anxiety. Although alcohol is often viewed as a recreational substance, it can have devastating consequences when abused. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), excessive alcohol consumption is linked to 95,000 fatalities in the United States every year.
This translates to approximately 66 million people aged 18 or older in the United States alone. North Dakota reported a 1.6 percentage-point decrease from 2022 to 2023, with 23.8% in 2022 and 22.2% in 2023. Finally, South Dakota saw an increase in excessive alcohol consumption with 20.1% reporting in 2022 and 21.2% reporting in 2023.
Adolescent Drug Abuse & Mental Health
Impaired coordination from drinking makes driving or operating machinery unsafe, and drunk driving (DUI) is a top cause of accidental deaths each year. Tragically, the dangers extend to others through accidents, violence, and other effects of heavy drinking. Alcohol abuse affects both men and women, but research has shown that there are some gender differences in drinking patterns. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), men are more likely than women to engage in binge drinking and heavy alcohol use. This breakdown also follows the national trend of an overall reduction in reported excessive alcohol consumption. At the national level, excessive alcohol consumption rates decreased for all available racial and ethnic groups – African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, Other/Multiple Races, and White – from 2022 to 2023.


