The number of Americans who died due to alcohol-related causes skyrocketed in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the results of a new study.
Alcohol-related deaths rose roughly 25% from 2019 to 2020, according to a March 18 study conducted by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
“Deaths involving alcohol reflect hidden tolls of the pandemic,” the study’s authors noted. “Increased drinking to cope with pandemic-related stressors, shifting alcohol policies, and disrupted treatment access are all possible contributing factors.”
Alcohol related deaths during pandemic went up ~25% from 2019-20. Big ?? for ppl age 35- 44 (from 22.9 to 32.0 per 100?000 [39.7%]) and 25-34 years (from 11.8 to 16.1 per 100?000 [37.0%]). Increases in opioid + alcohol deaths ?? 8503 to 11?969 (40.8%). https://t.co/Zeo3eSEJJe
— Kim Sue, MD, PhD (@DrKimSue) March 22, 2022
The largest increases in alcohol-related deaths were found in people aged 25 to 44, according to the study. Alcohol-related deaths rose from 13.7 to 17.5 per 100,000 in women, a roughly 27% increase, and 42.1 to 52.6 per 100,000 in men.
Deaths caused by alcohol-related liver disease rose roughly 22%, while deaths with an underlying cause of alcohol-related mental and behavioral disorders soared by over 35% and opioid overdose deaths with alcohol as a contributing cause jumped 40.8%, the study found.
TRENDING ARTICLES
Alcohol-related deaths rose slightly prior to COVID-19, climbing about 2.2% annually from 1999 to 2017, but the 25% surge during the first year of the pandemic outpaced the total increase in all-cause mortality of 16.6%, according to the study’s authors.
Researchers noted that the results of the study may be impacted by inaccurate death certificates, which they said frequently underreport the involvement of alcohol.
“Whether alcohol-related deaths will decline as the pandemic wanes, and whether policy changes could help reduce such deaths, warrants consideration,” the researchers concluded.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of this original content, email [email protected].
Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email [email protected] and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.
Read the first chapter of The Woketopus right now for FREE
Today, even with President Trump’s victory, leftist elites have their tentacles in every aspect of our government.
The Daily Signal’s own Tyler O’Neil exposes this leftist cabal in his new book, The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government.
In this book, O’Neil reveals how the Left’s NGO apparatus pursues its woke agenda, maneuvering like an octopus by circumventing Congress and entrenching its interests in the federal government.
You can read the first chapter of this new book for FREE in this eBook, The Woketopus: Chapter One using the secure link below.
TRENDING ARTICLES
The Daily Signal depends on the support of readers like you.
RELATED ARTICLES
Don’t miss the
Don’t miss the signal
