NIH: Alcohol-related deaths double over 18 years

Nearly 72,600 Americans died from alcohol-related causes in 2017, double the number in 1999, according to a new study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health. Death rates increased more for women (85%) than men (35%) over the period. “Taken together, the findings of this study and others suggests that alcohol-related harms are increasing at multiple levels — from ED visits and hospitalizations to deaths,” said NIAAA Director George Koob. “We know that the contribution of alcohol often fails to make it onto death certificates. Better surveillance of alcohol involvement in mortality is essential in order to better understand and address the impact of alcohol on public health.”