In the United States, deaths tied to excessive alcohol use rose 29 percent in just five years, according to federal data out this week, an increase that has alarmed experts and devastated many people who have lost loved ones.
A study published this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated an annual average of nearly 138,000 people dying from alcohol-related causes, such as motor vehicle crashes, alcohol poisoning, cancer and cirrhosis, based on data from 2016 to 2017. By 2020 to 2021, alcohol contributed to more than 178,000 U.S. deaths per year on average, the report said.
