Alcohol is killing Americans at historic rates. According to new federal data, the rates of death due to alcohol have not been seen in at least 35 years in the United States. In 2014, more than 30,700 Americans died from alcohol-induced causes, including alcohol poisoning and cirrhosis.
- In 2014, there were 9.6 deaths from these alcohol-induced causes per 100,000 people.
- That means an increase of 37% since 2002.
This tally of alcohol-induced fatalities excludes deaths from driving under the influence of alcohol, other accidents, and homicides committed under the influence of alcohol. If those numbers were included the annual death toll directly or indirectly caused by alcohol would be closer to 90,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Per-capita alcohol consumption in the US has been increasing since the late 1990s.
The alcohol use who consume most excessively are at the greatest risk for alcohol-induced causes of mortality. The top 10% of American adults consume the bulk of alcohol, almost 74 drinks a week on average.