Alcohol-Related Deaths Soar in 2020: Pandemic Stress and Lockdowns Blamed
In a shocking revelation, new official data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed that alcohol-related deaths in the United States soared in 2020 due to pandemic stress and lockdowns. According to the report, a staggering 178,000 Americans lost their lives to alcohol-related conditions during the first year of the Covid pandemic, making it the highest tally since 1999. Liver failure, cancer, alcohol poisoning, and drunk driving were some of the causes of death attributed to excessive alcohol consumption.
The report also highlighted that the average number of daily deaths due to alcohol in 2021 was 488, marking a significant increase of 29 percent from before the pandemic. This alarming statistic places alcohol as one of the country’s leading causes of death, surpassing even the daily death toll from Covid, which stands at around 270 people. Furthermore, fentanyl, a potent opioid, claims an average of 200 lives per day, while stroke takes the lives of approximately 400 individuals daily.
Two-thirds of the alcohol-related deaths recorded in 2021 were a result of chronic conditions that develop from long-term alcohol use, such as cancer and liver disease. The remaining third occurred due to binge drinking, leading to car crashes, multiple-drug overdoses, and suicides. The CDC reported that deaths from excessive alcohol use increased by almost 23 percent from 2018-2019 to 2020–2021, a four times larger increase than the previous period.
Experts warn that these numbers are likely to continue rising in the future. Alcohol consumption has been steadily increasing since the mid-90s, reversing a decade-long decline. In 1995, the average person consumed approximately 2.1 gallons of alcohol throughout the year. The CDC’s Alcohol-Related Disease Impact (ARDI) application, which assesses average alcohol use-related deaths over a five-year period, recorded 178,000 deaths during 2020 to 2021, compared to 138,000 deaths from 2016 to 2017, representing a 29 percent increase.
Dr. Daniel Lieberman, a psychiatrist and neuroscience researcher at George Washington University, expressed concern over these numbers, stating that they reflect the growing mental illness among Americans, including depression, anxiety, and alcohol use problems. He attributes this trend to the stress caused by the pandemic and lockdowns, as well as rising food and housing prices and political tensions.
The CDC and the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research identified a total of 58 causes of death directly or indirectly related to excessive alcohol use. These included alcoholic liver disease, alcohol poisoning, and suicide. While men had higher rates of incidence, the rates rose fastest among women. In fact, the rate of daily deaths due to alcohol surpassed that of fentanyl, a deadly opioid, reaching 154 deaths per day.
Dr. Lieberman also pointed out that society seems more willing to turn to risky substances to cope with the rapid and unsettling changes happening around us. While many states have legalized marijuana and other recreational drugs, alcohol remains the substance of choice for most individuals. He emphasized that people often underestimate the risks associated with using alcohol as a coping mechanism for stress.
The pandemic has also exacerbated substance misuse and addiction. From April 2020 to April 2021, over 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses, marking the first time that such a high number of overdose deaths were reported within a 12-month period. Additionally, nearly a third of US adults experienced worsened depression symptoms in 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Binge drinking rates also saw a significant increase during lockdowns. Sixty percent of Americans reported an increase in their alcohol consumption, with 46 percent attributing it to increased stress. Dr. Lieberman hopes that this report serves as a wake-up call to address the growing issue of excessive alcohol use and its devastating consequences.
In conclusion, the pandemic and associated stressors have led to a significant rise in alcohol-related deaths in the United States. The CDC’s report highlights the urgent need for awareness and intervention to address this alarming trend. It is crucial for individuals, communities, and policymakers to prioritize mental health support and provide resources for those struggling with alcohol use problems. Only through collective efforts can we hope to mitigate the devastating impact of excessive alcohol consumption on individuals and society as a whole.
