Alcohol death toll is growing, US government reports say

[Hydrogen]

NEW YORK (AP) — The rate of deaths that can be directly attributed to alcohol rose nearly 30% in the U.S. during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new government data.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had already said the overall number of such deaths rose in 2020 and 2021. Two reports from the CDC this week provided further details on which groups have the highest death rates and which states are seeing the largest numbers.

“Alcohol is often overlooked” as a public health problem, said Marissa Esser, who leads the CDC’s alcohol program. “But it is a leading preventable cause of death.”

A report released Friday focused on more than a dozen kinds of “alcohol-induced” deaths that were wholly blamed on drinking. Examples include alcohol-caused liver or pancreas failure, alcohol poisoning, withdrawal and certain other diseases. There were more than 52,000 such deaths last year, up from 39,000 in 2019.

The rate of such deaths had been increasing in the two decades before the pandemic, by 7% or less each year.

In 2020, they rose 26%, to about 13 deaths per 100,000 Americans. That’s the highest rate recorded in at least 40 years, said the study’s lead author, Merianne Spencer.

Such deaths are 2 1/2 times more common in men than in women, but rose for both in 2020, the study found. The rate continued to be highest for people ages 55 to 64, but rose dramatically for certain other groups, including jumping 42% among women ages 35 to 44.

The second report, published earlier this week in JAMA Network Open, looked at a wider range of deaths that could be linked to drinking, such as motor vehicle accidents, suicides, falls and cancers.

More than 140,000 of that broader category of alcohol-related deaths occur annually, based on data from 2015 to 2019, the researchers said. CDC researchers say about 82,000 of those deaths are from drinking too much over a long period of time and 58,000 from causes tied to acute intoxication.

The study found that as many as 1 in 8 deaths among U.S. adults ages 20 to 64 were alcohol-related deaths. New Mexico was the state with the highest percentage of alcohol-related deaths, 22%. Mississippi had the lowest, 9%

Excessive drinking is associated with chronic dangers such as liver cancer, high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. Drinking by pregnant women can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or birth defects. And health officials say alcohol is a factor in as many as one-third of serious falls among the elderly.

It’s also a risk to others through drunken driving or alcohol-fueled violence. Surveys suggest that more than half the alcohol sold in the U.S. is consumed during binge drinking episodes.

Even before the pandemic, U.S. alcohol consumption was trending up, and Americans were drinking more than when Prohibition was enacted. But deaths may have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic began for several reasons, including people with alcohol-related illnesses may have had more trouble getting medical care, Esser said.

She added that the research points to a need to look at steps to reduce alcohol consumption, including increasing alcohol taxes and enacting measures that limit where people can buy beer, wine and liquor.




Image link:  https://i.ibb.co/cJB8SX8/alcohol-fatality.jpg

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The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.


https://apnews.com/article/alcohol-death-toll-rising-pandemic-c25878b044f46b1cd275a8e2738148a5

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Sad.

With euthanasia not being a publicly available option. It appears alcohol is becoming a popular alternative. Can't recall if news claiming amazon sold suicide kits was true. But there was a news story making the rounds recently:

A parents' lawsuit accuses Amazon of selling suicide kits to teenagers

Amazon is facing a lawsuit accusing it of selling so-called suicide kits, brought by the families of two teenagers who bought a deadly chemical on the company's website and later used it to take their own lives.

The parents of 16-year-old Kristine Jónsson of Ohio and the parents of 17-year-old Ethan McCarthy of West Virginia say the retail giant assisted in the deaths of the two minors by selling them sodium nitrite, a food preservative that is fatal at high levels of purity.

The complaint filed in California state court in September claims Amazon recommended that customers who purchased the chemical also buy a scale to measure the correct dose, an anti-vomiting drug and Amazon's edition of a handbook on assisted suicide.

https://www.npr.org/2022/10/09/1127686507/amazon-suicide-teenagers-poison

Other news articles published recently claimed that american life expectancy had declined as much as 5 years in a 12 month period.

During the 2008 economic crisis, cases of crime, overdose, violence and suicide rose dramatically. It would appear similar trends are rising post 2020 pandemic era.

People need hope and to think positively more now than in times of peace. People need something to look forward to.

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[lovesmayfamilis]

During the pandemic, some were treated with alcohol, as it is commonly believed that any cold can be cured by alcohol. But for some reason, many people forget that alcohol destroys the liver very much; hence, we saw so many deaths that were attributed to COVID, although these were the consequences of alcohol.
The same thing is happening now. People get away from reality with the help of alcohol, but the degradation of the personality, which gradually occurs, inevitably leads to a lack of morality. Those crimes, which have become more frequent, are unlikely to be committed while sober. In times of economic downturn, I do not believe that people with weak minds can be persuaded that alcohol is harmful and returned to positive thinking. The more the situation in the world worsens, the more people will drink alcohol, mistakenly thinking that it calms them down.

[Zlantann]

It is not all crimes that are spurred by alcohol consumption. Addiction is one of the most difficult sicknesses to treat. A drunker can be suffering from kidney issues, yet he would never stop drinking.

The truth is alcohol gives a temporal good feeling. It is one of the ways of escaping temporarily from the troubles and uncertainties of this world. But it has it's negative consequences which include health issues, societal stigma, and addiction. The global economic downturn is devastating lives and some people find solace in alcohol, that's why consumption is increasing.

There is also an increase in the rate of suicide. And for me an increase in alcohol consumption is far better than increase in suicide.

[coupable]

Unfortunately, these data can be generalized to other societies, not just the US society. In Islamic countries, where alcohol consumption is religiously forbidden, and some of those countries originally prevent its circulation among citizens, the consumption rate has risen to record levels since the start of the Corona pandemic, meaning that this coincides with the global economic crisis that made the global economy enter a state of stagnation. Tunisia, for example, is an Arab Islamic country located in North Africa. Despite being a small country with 10 million people, the latest statistics confirm that it is the first in the Arab world and Africa in consuming alcohol, at a rate of more than 2 liters per year for each citizen.
As for suicide rates, they are also on the rise significantly, and this has nothing to do with the consumption of alcohol or other drugs.

[Davidvictorson]

From a psychological standpoint, I can understand the rise in alcohol related deaths. Alcohol numbs both emotional and psychological pain. The pandemic was a period of pain through-out the world and people turned to it as a coping mechanism, albeit maladaptive. And most of them would have become addicted to it such that it lead to health related diseases which eventually led to deaths. Too bad that it is easier to buy alcohol than it is to pay for gym membership.

[og kush420]

From a psychological standpoint, I can understand the rise in alcohol related deaths. Alcohol numbs both emotional and psychological pain. The pandemic was a period of pain through-out the world and people turned to it as a coping mechanism, albeit maladaptive. And most of them would have become addicted to it such that it lead to health related diseases which eventually led to deaths. Too bad that it is easier to buy alcohol than it is to pay for gym membership.

You know what Alcohol consumption is forbidden in our religion and culture. Has anyone noticed the yesterday England world cup celebration when they were about to throw champagne  - they asked their muslim team members to move away because they cannot afford the champagne celebration. That is how far we keep alcohol from us - because it kills

[Hispo]

I did not expect these numbers to go down during the pandemic, to be honest. Unfortunately, there many people who are quite mentally unstable and situations induced by the Covid (unemployment, loss of a family member, crime, loss of social contact...) can easily push anyone over the edge and make them to behave recklessly with alcohol and other substances around.

It is interesting we can he a glance to studies which include and exclude deaths associated to car accidents or suicides, counting only long term illnesses.

I wonder if the trend will stop at some point and these death rates will ever decrease. There is still a problem in the economy which is yet to be solved or correctly addressed, we are technically still in a crisis and that does not help at all to those in a bad mental position, obviously.

-snip-
You know what Alcohol consumption is forbidden in our religion and culture. Has anyone noticed the yesterday England world cup celebration when they were about to throw champagne  - they asked their muslim team members to move away because they cannot afford the champagne celebration. That is how far we keep alcohol from us - because it kills

So hand-sanitizer is haram, isn't it?

[DrBeer]

Covid, loss of relatives, friends, acquaintances, job loss or financial insolvency caused by the global crisis, family problems, other things that have been preventing the world from existing peacefully for the second year now - these are all strong depressants. Unlike drugs, alcohol is available, legal, and "helps" to move away from reality... The danger of alcohol and alcoholism is that it is systemic, asymptomatic, at a low level, destroys not only the body but also the mind. The degradation is slow but sure. The reason is that there are no clear manifestations, such as from drugs - withdrawal, specific behavior, etc. A man or woman who has embarked on the path of alcoholism can look imposing and attractive until later, be smart, interesting, earn good money ... But at some point alcohol will take away this too ... I am a supporter of alcohol being quite expensive, sold in limited quantities, and perhaps even with reference to identification data.

From the point of view of the state, sooner or later, if the sale of alcohol is not limited and controlled, tax revenues and excise duties will be noticeably lower than the state's costs for the social and medical maintenance of such citizens. And private businesses can also suffer significant losses.

[Hamphser]

From a psychological standpoint, I can understand the rise in alcohol related deaths. Alcohol numbs both emotional and psychological pain. The pandemic was a period of pain through-out the world and people turned to it as a coping mechanism, albeit maladaptive. And most of them would have become addicted to it such that it lead to health related diseases which eventually led to deaths. Too bad that it is easier to buy alcohol than it is to pay for gym membership.

You know what Alcohol consumption is forbidden in our religion and culture. Has anyone noticed the yesterday England world cup celebration when they were about to throw champagne  - they asked their muslim team members to move away because they cannot afford the champagne celebration. That is how far we keep alcohol from us - because it kills

For religion stand point of view then lets just respect one another but if we do speak about on scientific means or method then getting involved with alcohol couldnt literally kills.
We know that certain dosage would do or into those large or huge extent and into those people who had been dealing with it had some current health implications or issues which it did trigger out
when they are getting drunk or had that too much alcohol on your body.It is really just too much exaggerated that even getting sprinkled out or been wet out by champagne would really
be making you getting away because alcohol do kills. LOL.Everything should really be in moderation and if you dont really like on making things a mess then you should be mindful
about having that kind of control because if you do have too much then everything would really be ending up a mess.You cant put up yourself in harm if you are really that disciplined.

[AmoreJaz]

From a psychological standpoint, I can understand the rise in alcohol related deaths. Alcohol numbs both emotional and psychological pain. The pandemic was a period of pain through-out the world and people turned to it as a coping mechanism, albeit maladaptive. And most of them would have become addicted to it such that it lead to health related diseases which eventually led to deaths. Too bad that it is easier to buy alcohol than it is to pay for gym membership.

the numbers may have changed already as we are going back to normal routine. it is understandable that during the height of pandemic, some people got into alcoholism because they have nothing to do being stuck at their homes. with all the other problems, some did engage to this bad habit to seemingly forget the situation. i am hoping that the story today is changing or should i say, reducing the fatalities owed to this vice.

[Cryptock]

From a psychological standpoint, I can understand the rise in alcohol related deaths. Alcohol numbs both emotional and psychological pain. The pandemic was a period of pain through-out the world and people turned to it as a coping mechanism, albeit maladaptive. And most of them would have become addicted to it such that it lead to health related diseases which eventually led to deaths. Too bad that it is easier to buy alcohol than it is to pay for gym membership.

the numbers may have changed already as we are going back to normal routine. it is understandable that during the height of pandemic, some people got into alcoholism because they have nothing to do being stuck at their homes. with all the other problems, some did engage to this bad habit to seemingly forget the situation. i am hoping that the story today is changing or should i say, reducing the fatalities owed to this vice.

It is said that excess of everything is bad. Be it gambling, adultery, or alcohol
The more you get into it the more they kill you!
So it's good to stay away from all these thing if you want to have a healthy life.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

With euthanasia not being a publicly available option. It appears alcohol is becoming a popular alternative. Can't recall if news claiming amazon sold suicide kits was true.

Yeah, it was true--but I'd like to point out that you can turn anything into a poison if you use a high enough dose and also that there are innumerable methods of committing suicide.  The news story about Amazon and the suicide kits was just another piece of sensationalism on the part of journalists.

That aside, I don't think the alcohol story has anything to do with the other one.  I'm not sure why alcohol-related deaths have been increasing so much, but it appears that they were rising well before the pandemic.  Part of me wonders whether the CDC changed its definition of "related" somewhere along the way, and the definition was probably very liberal to begin with.

But the mention of taxes on alcohol and restrictions on availability are what bug me the most.  People should be free to do what they want with their own bodies as long as it doesn't harm others, and restrictive measures just don't work--we had Prohibition for a decade in the US, and all the good drugs have been illegal for many years, and yet there was the opiate crisis and everything else....so government intervention is just going to be ineffective at best and harmful at worst.

[Silberman]

From a psychological standpoint, I can understand the rise in alcohol related deaths. Alcohol numbs both emotional and psychological pain. The pandemic was a period of pain through-out the world and people turned to it as a coping mechanism, albeit maladaptive. And most of them would have become addicted to it such that it lead to health related diseases which eventually led to deaths. Too bad that it is easier to buy alcohol than it is to pay for gym membership.

the numbers may have changed already as we are going back to normal routine. it is understandable that during the height of pandemic, some people got into alcoholism because they have nothing to do being stuck at their homes. with all the other problems, some did engage to this bad habit to seemingly forget the situation. i am hoping that the story today is changing or should i say, reducing the fatalities owed to this vice.

This is unlikely, once you have developed a habit it is very difficult to break away from it, the pandemic forced people to find a coping mechanism in order to deal with the lockdowns, some of them found a healthy way to do this, while others found an unhealthy way to do this with the abuse of alcohol or drugs, and while the lockdowns have been over for quite some time it is likely many people still kept those bad habits, and this could partially explain why alcohol related deaths have increased on the US.

[xSkylarx]

From a psychological standpoint, I can understand the rise in alcohol related deaths. Alcohol numbs both emotional and psychological pain. The pandemic was a period of pain through-out the world and people turned to it as a coping mechanism, albeit maladaptive. And most of them would have become addicted to it such that it lead to health related diseases which eventually led to deaths. Too bad that it is easier to buy alcohol than it is to pay for gym membership.

the numbers may have changed already as we are going back to normal routine. it is understandable that during the height of pandemic, some people got into alcoholism because they have nothing to do being stuck at their homes. with all the other problems, some did engage to this bad habit to seemingly forget the situation. i am hoping that the story today is changing or should i say, reducing the fatalities owed to this vice.

It is said that excess of everything is bad. Be it gambling, adultery, or alcohol
The more you get into it the more they kill you!
So it's good to stay away from all these thing if you want to have a healthy life.

If you can stay away from this, then it has no problem, but we're already in this kind of situation where almost all of the people I know have been drinking alcohol, but only in moderation. I've heard a lot of news about alcohol intoxication, which is really alarming, mostly because they drink a lot of alcoholic drinks just for fun and post it on TikTok as a challenge. I am hoping that awareness of alcoholic intoxication will spread so that they won't do it.

[Gyfts]

Drug OD's, alcohol addiction, welcome to the post COVID lockdown depression syndrome that still plagues society.

Sad.

With euthanasia not being a publicly available option. It appears alcohol is becoming a popular alternative. Can't recall if news claiming amazon sold suicide kits was true. But there was a news story making the rounds recently:

Well, euthanasia isn't the solution to the problem, obviously. Euthanasia invites higher suicide rates by offering a permanent fix to a temporary problem. I wouldn't necessarily suggest SSRI's are the answer either, but give them anti-depressants before you offer euthanasia.

[dezoel]

Don't get me started on smoking. I do smoke, which is a terrible thing, I have since moved to electronic ones, and vape right now, but even that’s not that much of a help and "healthy". Smoking kills so many people, alcohol kills too of course but smoking doesn't just kill you, it makes you suffer for many years before it kills you.

People should learn how to quit that, and unfortunately unlike drugs that kill you, people and governments for some reason do not care if you smoke. It is as bad as any other drug, because the long term affects are death, and there isn't anything more serious, it’s as worse as it could get and yet everyone seems to be okay with it.

[Dunamisx]

If we consider the medical effect of consuming alcohol and forget about the ecstasy we derived from it then we will understand the truth that it only place a lifetime havoc on our health system than the pleasure it gives, getting drunk is another bad or side effect it also rendered and the drunkard turns to be another version of himself within that period of drunkunnes, it limit one's reputation, value and respect, it makes one get old or look tartared at young age, both the medical physical, social and mental state of a drunkard get truncated with alcohol and we all must learn to avoid taking it at all possible means.

[Bananington]

Can we suggest that the rising rate of unemployment is also contributing to the  increase in alcoholics and alcohol consumption rate. Solace have been found by many people who are currently unemployed either due to the pandemic or predicted incoming recession, in alcohol consumption to temporarily provide happiness and reduce their thinking. There is a tendency to become alcoholics which becomes a danger. Another concern is the number of underaged that have been affected.

[JordanMychal]

Fortunately, I am allergic to alcohol. Whenever I need to drink, no one will force me if I say I am allergic to alcohol. My allergy to alcohol is a family heredity, and my father is also allergic to alcohol. My father who doesn't smoke or drink is a good role model for me.

[Llhxsdr]

Many people drink alcohol to relieve bad emotions, but sometimes alcoholism delays things more. After alcohol is in the head, our consciousness will not be so controlled and become bolder, so being slightly drunk is also a good choice.