Understanding Binge Drinking National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA

The most important key figures provide you with a compact summary of the topic of “Alcohol and health” and take you straight to the corresponding statistics. We estimate that less than 10% of people who need treatment for AUD actually get it, and that only 2% access these FDA-approved medications. Per capita ethanol consumption from spirits by region, United States, 1977–2021. Per capita ethanol consumption from beer by region, United States, 1977–2021.

The other four being your temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure, and rate of breathing?

  • During the pandemic, telehealth services for behavioral health and other care may have been more accessible to those living in urban areas, where an internet connection is more likely to be available or reliable (Figure 5).
  • Beer contains around 5% of pure alcohol per volume1 so that one liter of beer contains 0.05 liters of pure alcohol.
  • We estimate that less than 10% of people who need treatment for AUD actually get it, and that only 2% access these FDA-approved medications.
  • During this 2019–2020 period, males and females each had their largest year-to-year percentage increase over the study period, at 26% and 27%, respectively.
  • Overall, these groups drink less, but a higher percentage will drink heavily when they do.
  • Alcohol deaths in 2022 were highest among people aged 45 to 64, males, people living in rural areas, and AIAN people.
  • Delaware’s alcohol-related death rate has skyrocketed over the last few years.

At the country level, as shown in the chart, this ranges from around 0.5 to 5 percent of the population. The first map shows this in terms of spirits as a share of total alcohol consumption. In many Asian countries, spirits account for most of total alcohol consumption. The charts show global consumption of spirits, which are distilled alcoholic drinks, including gin, rum, whisky, tequila, and vodka. With the change country feature, it is possible to view the same data for other countries.

Alcoholism Statistics

Data source and methods

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is often an underrecognized substance use disorder (SUD) despite its substantial consequences. Over half of US adults (54%) say that someone in their family has struggled with an alcohol use disorder, making it the most prevalent non-tobacco substance use disorder. Yet, only one-third Alcoholism Statistics of adults view alcohol addiction as a crisis, compared to over half who see opioids as such. Federal data show that 1 in 10 people had an alcohol use disorder in the past year, over 4 in 10 alcohol users report binge drinking in the past month, and per capita alcohol consumption is higher than the decade prior.

In 2018, two-thirds of adults aged 18 and over consumed alcohol in the past year.

Rates for males were two to four times higher than those for females across all age groups. There are gender differences in alcohol-related mortality and morbidity, as well as levels and patterns of alcohol consumption. The percentage of alcohol-attributable deaths among men amounts to 7.7 % of all global deaths compared to 2.6 % of all deaths among women. Total alcohol per capita consumption in 2016 among male and female drinkers worldwide was on average 19.4 litres of pure alcohol for males and 7.0 litres for females. Barriers to alcohol use disorder treatment include a combination of provider, patient, financial, and infrastructure factors.

Alabama has the third-highest rate of under-21 deaths related to excessive alcohol use. Children aged 17 years and younger are much more likely to live with an alcoholic parent than they are to be diagnosed with a learning disability or ADHD. Health, safety and socioeconomic problems attributable to alcohol can be reduced when governments formulate and implement appropriate policies. A  causal relationship has been established between harmful drinking and incidence or outcomes of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV.

Alcoholism Statistics

Alcohol-related deaths in Vermont are average, but under-21 deaths are among the lowest nationwide. Pennsylvania’s alcohol-related deaths are less likely to be due to chronic causes. New York has the third-lowest number of alcohol-related deaths per capita among all U.S. states.

Kentucky is a statistical anomaly with a low rate of underage drinking deaths and a low rate of chronic causes. The District of Columbia’s alcohol-related death rate increases faster than any U.S. state’s, and the rate of binge drinkers is very high. California sees the nation’s highest number of alcohol-related deaths but has a low rate of underage drinking. Arizona has a high number of alcohol-related deaths compared to its population.

Alcohol use disorder, which includes alcohol dependence, is defined in the WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (available here). Beer contains around 5% of pure alcohol per volume1 so that one liter of beer contains 0.05 liters of pure alcohol. Here, we see particularly high levels of alcohol abstinence across North Africa and the Middle East.

Alcoholism Statistics

U.S. deaths from causes fully due to excessive alcohol use increased during the past 2 decades. Alcohol use disorder can include periods of being drunk (alcohol intoxication) and symptoms of withdrawal. Excessive drinking is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and it is also costly. It cost the nation $249 billion in 2010 (the most recent year of data available).

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