Men and women are about equally likely to opt for liquor (29% and 32%, respectively). There are modest differences by age, with young and middle-aged adults more likely than those aged 55 and older to prefer beer, and young adults being the least likely to favor wine. U.S. drinkers continue to cite beer as the alcoholic beverage they consume most often, exceeding the 30% who name liquor and 29% who name wine. This is broadly consistent with the patterns seen over the past six years, when liquor has roughly matched wine as people’s drink of choice. Data on the country with the most alcohol-related deaths varies depending on whether you are looking at recorded alcohol consumption or estimates of unrecorded production and intake.

Marijuana Abuse

This is shown in the charts as the share of adults who had not drunk in the prior year and those who have never drunk alcohol. Alcohol has historically, and continues to, hold an important role in social engagement and bonding for many. Environmental-level strategies target the campus community and student body as a whole. They are designed to change the campus and community environments where student drinking occurs. Often, a major goal is to reduce the availability of alcohol because research shows that reducing alcohol availability cuts consumption and harmful consequences on campuses as well as in the general population. Unfortunately, although the standard drink (or alcoholic drink-equivalent) amounts are helpful for following health guidelines, they may not reflect customary serving sizes.

The 6 Stages of Mental Health Recovery

Data shows that approximately 20 percent of adults aged and around 11% over age 65 report current binge drinking. On average, U.S. drinkers reported consuming about four drinks per week in 2022. However, that number rises to six drinks per week for those who appear to be regular drinkers, defined as those who had at least one drink in the past week. Recovery from addiction is a journey that spans personal, social, and systemic challenges.

State-Level Economic Costs of Excessive Alcohol Use in the US

Among Americans aged 12 years and older, 47.7 million were current illegal drug users (used within the last 30 days) as of 2023. Whilst the World Health Organization (WHO) and most national guidelines typically quantify one unit of alcohol as equal to 10 grams of pure alcohol, the metric used as a ‘standard measure’ can vary across countries. The total estimated number of deaths by country from 1990 to 2019 is found here. At the end of this topic page, you will find additional resources and guidance if you, or someone you know, needs support in dealing with alcohol dependency. Screening youth for alcohol use and AUD is very important and may prevent problems down the road.

Who drinks?

As we see, following prohibition, levels of alcohol consumption returned to similar levels as in the pre-prohibition period. Data drug addiction treatment on the share who don’t drink alcohol by gender and age group in the UK is available here. In a related chart, you can see the share who drink alcohol by gender and age group in the UK. To make this average more understandable, we can express it in bottles of wine.

Michigan Alcohol Abuse Statistics

Efforts to close remaining gaps could significantly reduce the addiction treatment deficit. Insurance coverage profoundly influences whether individuals can afford or even seek out treatment. Although historically higher illicit drug usage has been observed in urban centers, rural areas have faced unique substance challenges – particularly opioids. The financial toll of addiction is massive, driving healthcare expenditures, productivity losses, and criminal justice costs. Addiction is a chronic relapsing condition, with various drugs carrying different probabilities of post-treatment return to use. Pinpointing when individuals typically begin substance use underscores the need for early intervention strategies.

• Following the ten-year period, they re-assessed such individuals for whether they had either nicotine, alcohol, or illicit drug dependency.
• For more information on individual- and environmental-level strategies, visit NIAAA’s CollegeAIM (which stands for College Alcohol Intervention Matrix) guide and interactive website.
• Since the brain is not fully developed until the age of 25, young adults should exercise caution when consuming alcohol.
• Furthermore, women may develop liver disease rapidly after consuming smaller amounts of alcohol than men.
• Depending on the healthcare you’ve already had this year, costs could even be zero.

Current statistics on this topic

The Haven Detox is a nationally-recognized addiction and mental health treatment provider in Arizona, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Florida, Arkansas, and Puerto Rico. The 7 centers offer medical detox and inpatient rehab with advanced therapies and psychiatric care to effectively treat alcohol and drug use, anxiety, depression, bipolar, trauma, and dual diagnoses. It’s estimated 11% of the U.S. population has a diagnosable alcohol use disorder. Overall, about 1 in 5 people who start drinking will develop an alcohol use disorder at some point in their lives. When zooming out to alcohol consumption in the past year, over 60% of U.S. adults said they drank, according to the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

• Gender remains one of the more prominent demographic variables in addiction research.
• There are 260 drugs classified as Schedule I. Some examples of Schedule I drugs include ecstasy, heroin, synthetic heroin, LSD, marijuana, and peyote.
• The constant pace—20 deaths every hour—signals that this is not a seasonal or isolated issue but a chronic public health emergency.
• If AUD shows how many people are struggling, alcohol-related mortality shows the human cost.
• Do not wait for the person to have all the symptoms, and be aware that a person who has passed out can die.

Furthermore, while young adults (18-25) and adults (26 and older) report the highest rate of current alcohol use, the elderly also struggle with alcohol misuse. In fact, 1 in 20 adults aged 65 or older had an alcohol use disorder in the past year. Substance addiction remains a major public health issue in the U.S., spanning alcohol, drug, and nicotine dependence. Below, we present the latest (2023–2025) facts, organized by substance type, with concise, sourced points from credible organizations like the CDC, NIH, and SAMHSA. The statistics highlight prevalence, health impacts, and key demographic trends, with numbered entries and full citations for clarity.

Nowhere is this clearer than in New Mexico, which has led the nation in alcohol-related deaths for years. According to the New Mexico Department of Health (2023), the state recorded an alcohol-attributable death rate of 84.5 per 100,000 residents, almost double the U.S. average of 42. In short, the data reveal https://ecosober.com/ that binge drinking is not an isolated behavior but a cultural pattern tied to tradition, climate, economics, and regulation. That’s why North Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin consistently appear near the top of these rankings year after year, because the social fabric around drinking is deeply entrenched. Alcohol use also is a risk factor for pancreatitis, gastritis, gastro-esophageal reflux disease and peptic ulcer disease, as well as a potential aggravator of mental and behavioral disorders.

Adult alcohol use can increase underage drinking

However, you’ll notice that when religious individuals do drink, they face higher risks of problematic use. With 232 million missed workdays in the U.S. and 15.3% of workers reporting alcohol use at work, you’re seeing significant productivity losses across industries globally. Treatment innovations show promise through expanding digital health platforms and combination therapies. Telemedicine and AI-enabled counseling improve accessibility, while pharmacological advancements in naltrexone and acamprosate demonstrate growing efficacy. You’ll find noncommunicable diseases account for 1.6 million of these fatalities, while injuries cause 700,000 deaths and communicable diseases result in 300,000 deaths.

U.S. Drinking Rate at New Low as Alcohol Concerns Surge

More Americans have used alcohol in the past year than any other drug or tobacco product. Alcohol misuse frequently co-occurs with other psychiatric conditions, compounding the challenges of both diagnosis and treatment. Alcohol-related deaths in Tennessee are much more likely to involve acute causes. Alcohol-related deaths in North Dakota are among the most likely to be due to chronic causes.

• A majority—72% of the total cost—was due to lost productivity, showing how alcohol use hampers employee performance, absenteeism, premature death, and disability.
• Find out how many people have alcohol use disorder in the United States across age groups and demographics.
• In addition to the increased risk of mortality, chronic alcohol abuse also contributes to rates of liver cirrhosis, digestive disorders and various cancers.
• Recognizing these differences is crucial for designing tailored outreach and treatment.

Adults who think moderate drinking is bad for one’s health are just as likely as all others to report they drink alcohol (55% and 54%, respectively). However, only half of those who harbor health-related concerns say they have had a drink within the past seven days (49%), compared with 69% of those who don’t share these health concerns. In 2001, about 30% of young adults and middle-aged adults saw moderate drinking as harmful, while 21% of older adults agreed. However, by 2007, 18- to 34-year-olds had pulled ahead of both other age groups in their concern, including a recent surge to about two-thirds saying moderate drinking is harmful. Middle-aged and older adults’ belief that drinking is bad for health has picked up over the past few readings but still lags young adults’. Young adults had already become less likely to report drinking alcohol a decade ago, but that trend has only accelerated, with the rate falling from 59% in 2023 to 50% today.

Furthermore, it is reported that alcohol was a contributing factor in about 32% of all traffic crash fatalities, with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 g/dL or higher being the accepted threshold for impairment. People who start drinking at a young age are more likely to form an alcohol use disorder later in life. Additionally, people who begin drinking before age 15 are 5x more likely to develop alcohol use disorder than those who waited until age 21 to start. Kentucky is a statistical anomaly with a low rate of underage drinking deaths and a low rate of chronic causes.

Prevalence of Past-Month Drinking

However, because data presented in this report are based on total actual sales and/or shipments, AEDS does not provide measures of statistical significance. Nonetheless, it is important to note that these data are still only estimates and may be subject to reporting error and random fluctuation over time. According to NIAAA (2022), a “standard drink” in the United States contains 0.6 fluid ounces of ethanol.