Statistics indicate Iowa is one of the nation’s leaders in chronic abuse among its alcohol-related deaths. We invite healthcare professionals including physicians, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, and psychologists to complete a post-test after stats on alcoholism reviewing this article to earn FREE continuing education (CME/CE) credit. This CME/CE credit opportunity is jointly provided by the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and NIAAA. The battle with drugs is still ongoing, but recovery rates are positive.

Wine contains around 12% pure alcohol per volume, so that one liter of wine contains 0.12 liters of pure alcohol. Beer contains around 5% of pure alcohol per volume1 so that one liter of beer contains 0.05 liters of pure alcohol. With the change country feature, it is possible to view the same data for other countries. Sweden, for example, increased the share of wine consumption and, therefore, reduced the share of spirits.

Deaths from Excessive Alcohol Use in the United States

This interactive map shows the annual average alcohol consumption of alcohol, expressed per person aged 15 years or older. To account for the differences in alcohol content of different alcoholic drinks (e.g., beer, wine, spirits), this is reported in liters of pure alcohol per year. This topic page looks at the data on global patterns of alcohol consumption, patterns of drinking, beverage types, the prevalence of alcoholism, and consequences, including crime, mortality, and road incidents.

stats on alcoholism

Nearly 70% of fatal adolescent overdoses occurred with a potential bystander present, yet in most cases no bystander response was documented (8). In addition, ensuring access to effective, evidence-based treatment for SUD and mental health conditions might decrease overdose risk. Public health action ensuring that youths have access to treatment and support for mental health concerns and stress could reduce some of the reported motivations for substance use. These interventions could be implemented on a broad or local scale to improve adolescent well-being and reduce harms related to substance use.

In This Article

The map shows DALYs per 100,000 people, which result from alcohol use disorders. In the chart, we see data across some countries on the share of people with an alcohol use disorder who received treatment. This data is based on estimates of prevalence and treatment published by the World Health Organization (WHO). The scatter plot compares the prevalence of alcohol use disorders in males versus that of females. The prevalence of alcohol dependence in men is typically higher than in women across all countries. The charts show global consumption of wine, first in terms of wine as a share of total alcohol consumption, and then the estimated average consumption per person.

  • Heavy episodic drinking is defined as the proportion of adult drinkers who have had at least 60 grams or more of pure alcohol on at least one occasion in the past 30 days.
  • The charts show global consumption of beer, first in terms of beer as a share of total alcohol consumption, and then the estimated average consumption per person.
  • Mississippi has a high rate of under-21 alcohol-related deaths and the second-highest rate of deaths from acute causes.
  • Adolescents most commonly used substances with friends (81%), a boyfriend or girlfriend (24%), anyone who has drugs (23%), and someone else (17%); however, one half (50%) reported using alone.
  • † Number of binge drinking occasions in the past 30 days among adults who reported binge drinking.
  • Rates for males were two to four times higher than those for females across all age groups.

There are 230 different types of diseases where alcohol has a significant role. It also causes harm to the well-being and health of people around the drinker. In 2018, the worldwide total consumption was equal to 6.2 litres of pure alcohol per person 15 years and older. Unrecorded consumption accounts for 26% of the worldwide total consumption. A century ago, some countries had much higher levels of alcohol consumption.

Other statistics on the topic

Substance use often begins during adolescence, placing youths at risk for fatal overdose and substance use disorders (SUD) in adulthood. A cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescents being assessed for SUD treatment in the United States during 2014–2022, to examine self-reported motivations for using substances and the persons with whom substances were used. These findings suggest that interventions related to reducing stress and addressing mental health concerns might reduce these leading motivations for substance use among adolescents. Education for adolescents about harm reduction strategies, including the danger of using drugs while alone and how to recognize and respond to an overdose, can reduce the risk for fatal overdose. Adolescents most commonly reported using substances with friends, which presents the opportunity for bystander intervention in the event of an overdose.

  • These estimates are from the CDC’s Alcohol-Related Disease Impact (ARDI) application, using a new methodology.
  • Alcohol-related deaths in Tennessee are much more likely to involve acute causes.
  • Accidental drug overdose is a leading cause of death among persons under the age of 45.
  • South Carolina has more alcohol-related deaths per capita than the average state, and those deaths are 18.1% more likely to involve underage drinkers.
  • Alcohol consumption is a known risk factor for a number of health conditions, and potential mortality cases.

In 2017, the cost of drug abuse in the US was nearly $272 billion, taking into account crime, healthcare needs, lost work productivity and other impacts on society. Statistics indicate that some demographics and communities face elevated risks of drug abuse and drug disorders. Accidental drug overdose is a leading cause of death among persons under the age of 45. In South Africa and Papua New Guinea, more than half of all traffic deaths are attributable to alcohol consumption.