The map shows the share of all road traffic deaths attributed to alcohol consumption over the national legal limit for alcohol consumption. Measuring the health impact by mortality alone fails to capture the impact that alcohol use disorders have on an individual’s well-being. The ‘disease burden’ – measured in Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) – considers mortality and years lived with disability or health burden. The map shows DALYs per 100,000 people, which result from alcohol use disorders. The breakdown of alcohol use disorders by gender for any country can be viewed here; the majority of people with alcohol use disorders – around three-quarters – are male.
New Jersey has the second-lowest number of alcohol-related deaths per capita (Utah has the lowest). Statistics indicate Iowa is one of the nation’s leaders in chronic abuse among its alcohol-related deaths. Find out how many people have alcohol use disorder in the United States across age groups and demographics. One of the strongest predictors of developing an alcohol use disorder is having a close relative with alcoholism. Societal norms around alcohol have shifted considerably, and one of the most notable changes is the narrowing gap between male and female drinking rates. Drinking alcohol while pregnant can be dangerous to the fetus and cause developmental issues in children.
Rhode Island Alcohol Abuse Statistics
Different life stages – such as adolescence, young adulthood, mid-life, and older adulthood – are marked by unique stressors, social norms, and patterns of behavior that influence drinking habits. The following discussion provides a comprehensive overview of alcoholism in the United States, examining key demographics, socioeconomic influences, treatment patterns, and long-term trends. By highlighting the data behind alcohol use disorders (AUD), this article aims to underscore both the breadth of the problem and the opportunities for meaningful change.
Understanding these complex patterns is essential for designing interventions that target prevention, improve treatment outcomes, and foster lasting recovery. However, many barriers remain, including the persistent stigma around addiction, gaps in treatment availability, and inconsistent policies across states. Expanding access to evidence-based care – particularly for vulnerable and underserved populations – can reduce the substantial health and economic costs tied to alcohol misuse. In tandem, community-level support and robust prevention strategies offer optimism that high-risk drinking can be mitigated through thoughtful policy changes, education, and early intervention.
California Alcohol Abuse Statistics
This is given as the share of adults aged 15 years and older who have drunk alcohol within the previous year. As the map shows, the average per capita alcohol consumption varies widely globally. Wyoming has one of the nation’s highest rates of alcohol-related deaths per capita.
- Mississippi has a high rate of under-21 alcohol-related deaths and the second-highest rate of deaths from acute causes.
- Alcohol abuse exerts a substantial toll on the U.S. economy and healthcare system.
- Alcohol consumption has a causal impact on more than 200 health conditions (diseases and injuries).
- Alcohol-related deaths in Vermont are average, but under-21 deaths are among the lowest nationwide.
Montana Alcohol Abuse Statistics
South Dakota has an elevated rate of alcohol-related deaths per capita and a high rate of under-21 deaths. North Carolina has a low rate of alcohol-related deaths per capita and a low rate of under-21 deaths. Maine has one of the nation’s lowest rates of under-21 alcohol-related deaths.
Share of adults who don’t drink alcohol
Alcohol abuse statistics indicate some inequalities may be due to social conditioning. Discover how many people with alcohol use disorder in the United States receive treatment across age groups and demographics. The highest proportion (13%) of alcohol-attributable deaths in 2019 were among young people aged 20–39 years.
Economic Burden of Alcohol Misuse in the United States
In a related chart, you can see the share who drink alcohol by gender and age group in the UK. Again, the prevalence of drinking across North Africa and the Middle East is notably lower than elsewhere. Typically, 5 to 10 percent of adults across these regions drank in the preceding year, and in a number of countries, this was below 5 percent.
- Understanding the common types of treatment can empower individuals to seek the level of care that suits their needs.
- We see that the proportion of deaths attributed to alcohol consumption is lower in North Africa and the Middle East and much higher in Eastern Europe.
- New Hampshire has the nation’s lowest rate of under-21 alcohol-related deaths.
- Beer contains around 5% of pure alcohol per volume1 so that one liter of beer contains 0.05 liters of pure alcohol.
Alcohol can also be extremely addictive and cause major health problems to frequent users. Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is the most prevalent substance use disorder in the U.S. When we look at the variance in prevalence across age groups, we see that globally, the prevalence is highest in those aged between 15 and 49 years old. This pattern of drinking is often termed ‘binging,’ where individuals consume large amounts of alcohol within a single session versus small quantities more frequently. 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. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Louisiana has the nation’s highest rate of under-21 drinkers among its alcohol-related deaths. Alcohol-related deaths in Kansas are slightly more likely to involve males and underage drinkers. Statistics indicate Georgia has a higher rate of underage drinkers than the majority of states. Arizona has a high number of alcohol-related deaths compared to its population. Alaska has the nation’s second-highest number of alcohol-related deaths per capita. Alcohol Use Disorder and alcoholism have damaged some groups or demographics more than others.
The report shows an estimated 400 million people lived with alcohol use disorders globally. For example, a value of 3.6 for bipolar disorder indicates that illicit drug dependency became more than three times more likely in individuals with bipolar disorder than those without. The risk of an alcohol use disorder is highest in individuals with intermittent explosive disorder, dysthymia, ODD, bipolar disorder, and social phobia. 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.
Total alcohol per capita consumption in the world population decreased slightly from 5.7 litres in 2010 to 5.5 litres in 2019. The highest levels of per capita consumption in 2019 were observed in the WHO European Region (9.2 litres) and the Region of Americas (7.5 litres). Jessica graduated from the University of South Florida (USF) with an English degree and combines her writing expertise and passion for helping others to deliver reliable information to those impacted by addiction. Informed by her personal journey to recovery and support of loved ones in sobriety, Jessica’s empathetic and authentic approach resonates deeply with the Addiction Help community. Alcohol addiction treatment is widespread and can be customized to your specific needs. If you or someone you know needs help, do not hesitate to contact us for more information about treatment programs near you.
Dr. Hoffman is the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of AddictionHelp.com and ensures the website’s medical content and messaging quality. Alcohol is the most commonly used substance in adolescents and young adults in the U.S., and the results are concerning. A driver is considered alcohol-impaired when their blood alcohol concentration is .08 grams per deciliter or higher. Driving while impaired by alcohol is incredibly dangerous and can be deadly. However, we often assume that nearly everybody drinks alcohol—but statistically, that just isn’t true. More Americans have used alcohol in the past year than any other drug or tobacco product.
In this study, the authors followed a cohort of more than 5,000 individuals with and without a mental health disorder (but without a drug use disorder) over a 10-year period. Following the ten-year period, they re-assessed such individuals for whether they had either nicotine, alcohol, or illicit drug dependency. This chart is shown for the global total but can be explored for any country or region using the “Change country or region” toggle. 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. Data on the prevalence of binge drinking by age and gender in the UK can be found here, and trends in heavy and binge drinking in the USA can be found here.
Long-run data on alcohol consumption from the United States gives us one perspective of drinking since 1850. In the chart, we see the average consumption (in liters of ethanol) of different Alcohol stats beverage types per person in the USA since the mid-nineteenth century. 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. Nebraska ranks below average in the rate of alcohol-related deaths per capita but above average in underage deaths.